Written by Maria Manuella Pache de Athayde
45/100
Dear Future Children is Franz Böhm’s first documentary feature. It narrates the story of three female activists in Chile, Hong Kong, and Uganda. While it offers an interesting premise it lacks the necessary nuance to tackle all the topics Böhm is trying to address.
In essence, the documentary follows three parallel story lines. In Chile, activists are protesting against inequality gaps and high costs of living. In Hong Kong, activists protested against an extradition bill, which they claim would undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy. In Uganda, climate change is the main focus. At no point in the documentary an effort is made to integrate these storylines. What we end up with is seeing flashes of activism that provide little insight into the context of the protests and what led these women to become activists in the first place.
It is almost as if the director tried to combine three documentary shorts into one documentary feature. The material presented by Böhm is very aspirational but without a strong connection to the activists he depicts the material falls flat. News buffs might enjoy watching this but I am not sure if it is worthwhile for anyone else.
Dear Future Children Trailer
Dear Future Children screened as part of the Hot Docs 2021 Film Festival.
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