Terrible Children
The film poses the universal question—must we betray our family to grow up? The filmmaker’s Indian father gives her a letter, which he left unopened for 20 years. She pieces together her father’s history of trauma and renewal—of family violence, boyhood in a right-wing paramilitary group, Muslim-Hindu violence during Partition, and family banishment for marrying a Danish woman. Told through personal narrative, reimagined history, and chronicles of racial nationalism, the film reveals the rich and complex interior lives of boys fighting to become men.
Director, Writer, Editor: Shanti Thakur
©2021, Lucida Films LLC, Documentary, 57 minutes, USA/India/Canada
“Brilliant and stunning.” - Cleveland International Film Festival
"Thakur proves her gift for communicating vulnerable and complex topics with raw honesty and captivating visuals.” — The Daily Texan
Best Feature Documentary, Buffalo International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Berlin Indie Film Festival, Germany
Director of Photography: Benjamin Wolf Sound Design + Music: Quentin Chiappetta Production Design: John Monaco Cast: Ravi Guru Singh, Sini Mattila Executive Producer: Mark Lipson, Producer: Shanti Thakur
Terrible Children poster for IMBD