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Everyone's Child

Everyone’s CHILD is the story of two children’s abrupt journey into a world of adult responsibility. It is a story of love and of the triumph of human spirit in the face of tragedy. The film was made in Zimbabwe in 1993-96 to tackle a growing problem throughout Africa of children being orphaned as a result of AIDS, and has been seen by an estimated 90 million people throughout the continent, through cinema and broadcast.

 

Tamari and Itai are devastated following the tragic death of both of their parents. As family and neighbours turn their heads, the children are left with nothing. Frustrated and despairing, Itai tries his luck in the big city, leaving Tamari at home to fend for herself and their younger brother and sister.

 

For the children this is a time of fear and survival. For the people around them it must become a question of compassion. In the end it is only tragedy that can bridge the gulf of denial between their two worlds and make the community realise that these are everyone’s children.

 

Come the Millennium, there will be ten million orphans in Africa as a result of AIDS alone. Everyone’s CHILD is a profoundly affecting film from Zimbabwe that addresses this disturbing statistic through the story of one family. The performances are brave and the tragedy as underplayed as one could expect. The title derives from the ethos that the upbringing of a child is the responsibility of the entire village. Utopian day-dreaming or collective social responsibility? If the sight of a toy helicopter constructed from coat hangers minus its owner doesn’t provoke a tear, your emotions have upped and left.

Rodger Evans, The List, Edinburgh, August 1997

 

“The story of one orphan boy is used to illustrate the plight of over ten million children in Africa who will lose their parents to AIDS by the end of the century. A difficult subject beautifully dealt with.”

Dublin Film Festival, March 1997

 

“Paraphrasing the script … does scant justice to the raw power of the film, which has the same well rehearsed, but totally engaging, quality of many a classic drama. This is in no small part due to the enormous energy and commitment that the cast bring to their roles and the brilliance of the cinematography, which vividly captures and uses for narrative purposes the often harsh, unrelenting quality of the African light and the multitude of other details and textures that characterise the village and urban landscapes in Zimbabwe.”

Rasaad Jamie, South Magazine, March 1997

 

 

 Everyone’s CHILD benefits from director Tsitsi Dangarembga’s meticulous novelist’s eye. This, her first feature film, has a sensitivity and sureness of touch that belies its modest beginnings. In simple, un-melodramatic terms, the film tells the story of a young family’s struggle to maintain a livelihood. The film maintains a level of quiet realism throughout. There’s a genuine poignancy in the dilemmas and the cast is uniformly excellent throughout. It scores points particularly in its refusal to condemn any single character outright, suggesting instead that morally questionable behaviour owes as much to society’s own shortcomings as to any single individual.

New Internationalist, June 1997

 

  

“This emotionally powerful first film by prize-winning author Tsitsi Dangarembga is a story of love and of the triumph of human spirit in the face of tragedy... The appealing original soundtrack featuring many of Zimbabwe’s top artists is itself a celebration of contemporary Zimbabwean music and pays tribute to the African tradition of caring.”

L Buchanan, Mill Valley Film Festival, October 1996

 

 

“A continent sized nation of orphans, these children are often preyed upon by strangers and families alike. Everyone’s CHILD distils the statistics into one compelling story….Director Tsitsi Dangarembga imbues this film with a sure feel for the beauty and rhythms of the village, letting the economic and political situation of millions of orphans speak through one powerful drama.”

Cameron Bailey, Toronto Film Festival, September 1996

 

 

“The message about the plight of orphans is conveyed so vividly and yet so gently that it touches even the most uncaring heart.”

Lillie Chitauro, High Commissioner to Canada, September 1996

 

 

“Although many in the cast are making their first screen appearances characterisation is strong, especially among the women. Mlambo has easily the most difficult role. So much could have gone wrong had she played the part with too much emotion, or not quite enough. Finding the balance would tax the most experienced actress yet this young woman just sails through in triumph… Generally this is probably the best film yet made by Zimbabweans.”

Gareth Willard, The Herald, Zimbabwe, September 1996