The Nickel Children

Without going into great length about it, I happen to have experienced a significant part of my own youth amid kids on the street who were near identical to the two main characters you'll see in the film. From that very eye opening period in my life I can tell you that the film delivers a grim but honest and tragic realism that is rarely captured in American cinema.

Its not at all a contrived melodrama as some might expect, but a story of two kids who find themselves in desperation; surviving as they can and as they must within the coldest and most callous reaches of a world many may never know, but far too many undoubtedly will.

The characters and performances are believable and the script and story feels authentic. The pacing for these kind of dramas is never close to what it might be in the real world, but it gives us much of the information we need to feel the connection to our two young survivors, know their motivations and reasons behind their situations, yet still moves fast enough to keep things compelling and the story in motion.

If you have the opportunity to see this, by all means do. While its not quite near a "Christiane F" (1981), it is far superior to "Where The Day Takes You" (1994) and deserves a place among some the best films that depict the true to life struggles of children who are cast out, or escape an unbearable home life, only to be devoured by the streets.