Toy Soldiers (2010)

Directed by

John Walsh

Genre

documentary film

Country

United Kingdom

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A BBC documentary that shows what life is like for children when a parent goes off to war. It uses interviews, children's artwork, and animations to share their experiences and feelings.

sadthoughtfulsensitiveintimatepersonaleducationalcalm

What happens

Toy Soldiers is a British documentary for BBC by John Walsh. of Walsh Bros Ltd. For the first time on television children reveal what life is like when a parent goes off to war and was commissioned as part of the BBC's look at children in conflicts and war zones entitled the Army Zone. "The child's voice has rarely been heard on this subject before. The goal of this film is not just to give a voice to this story but to challenge perceptions of children whose parents go to war." The film looks at how they try to maintain normality as their lives are interrupted by a conflict that they might not understand, taking place in a country they may never have heard of. For some a return is around the corner, for others a loss will affect the rest of their lives. It is narrated by Gareth Gates. The documentary uses animations, the children's own artwork, and interviews. The film was praised by Dr Geraldine Walford for challenging perceptions around the topic of childhood grief: "good to see this sensitive and crucially important topic being opened up for people to learn from." Walsh discusses it on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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