# What was this documentary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946 "2010-11-26T03:05:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/1 "2010-11-26T03:05:11Z")
It followed a gang of (Russian?) orphans around as they spent their days huffing paint or something. It was like Oliver Twist, except intense. I plan to watch it again, if I can find it free/cheap. If I remember correctly, it quite figuratively rocked my socks off. Also, in the event that it’s too expensive for me acquire, please remind me of its sock-rocking intensity. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/2 "2010-11-26T03:38:03Z")
I remember seeing that at some point, but I think it may have been kids from Central or South America, not Russia. (maybe in Sao Paulo or Lima?) Pretty grim for those youngsters… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/3 "2010-11-26T03:39:30Z")
Could it be the Academy Award nominated [Children of Leningradsky](http://streetkidnews.blogsome.com/2007/02/04/the-children-of-leningradsky/) ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/4 "2010-11-26T03:57:27Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Could it be the Academy Award nominated [Children of Leningradsky](http://streetkidnews.blogsome.com/2007/02/04/the-children-of-leningradsky/) No, but it appears to document almost the same thing. The children in mine also lived in train stations, I think somewhere in Eastern Europe. I really don’t think it was Moscow and I know it wasn’t South America. I think it would alternate between interviews with the half dozen kids and their daily lives- begging, huffing, fighting and etc. The huffing of that shit played a big role, or at least is what had the biggest impact on me. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/5 "2010-11-26T04:12:19Z")
There’s one called [Flowers Don’t Grow Here](http://www.journeyman.tv/56158/documentaries/flowers-dont-grow-here.html) about kids in Kiev, Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/6 "2010-11-26T05:26:09Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > There’s one called [Flowers Don’t Grow Here](http://www.journeyman.tv/56158/documentaries/flowers-dont-grow-here.html) about kids in Kiev, Ukraine. No, but holy shit there’s a lot of documentaries about Russian street urchins. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/7 "2010-11-26T09:20:55Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > There’s one called [Flowers Don’t Grow Here](http://www.journeyman.tv/56158/documentaries/flowers-dont-grow-here.html) about kids in Kiev, Ukraine. Good God, does that film ever sound depressing… ---
**Author:** ![Cation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cation)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/8 "2010-11-26T09:29:20Z")
Perhaps [Children Underground](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264476/)? Follows Romanian children living in train tunnels and huffing paint. Quite sad. I vaguely remember an interview with a girl’s parents and maybe a reunion that was pretty emotional. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/9 "2010-11-26T15:19:12Z")
I learned something today. I had never herd the expression "huffing paint’ before and had no idea what it meant until I Googled it. Now, please excuse me; I have to chase some kids off my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-documentary/561946/10 "2010-11-26T15:39:06Z")
> [@Cation](#): > > Perhaps [Children Underground](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264476/)? Follows Romanian children living in train tunnels and huffing paint. Quite sad. I vaguely remember an interview with a girl’s parents and maybe a reunion that was pretty emotional. Bingo. Thanks. I’m familiar with William Blake, Peter Pan and Michael Jackson, but I never really got why children are supposedly so special. However, after rewatching this thing on youtube, it becomes apparent. I highly advise everyone with eyeballs to obtain a copy and view it. And then when you have, we can talk about what complete assholes adults in Bucharest are. You don’t give charity to a homeless crackhead, sure. The conservative “they’re there by their own choice” is at least not absurd. But you’re not even supposed give 12 year olds a choice. Fuck.