Love is lived 1982 from Our Song on Vimeo.
“D'amore si vive” (of love is lived) by Silvano Agosti is a film - documentary made in 1984 that once had to be subtitled in several languages due to public demand. This is a series of interviews that take more than nine hours of recording, with several outcast characters from Parma (Italy) that were developed in the City Council.
The documentary turns out to be a search on sensuality, tenderness and love, which had and is very interested in its sociological and artistic value. Franck is nine years old, and his interview occupies a very important part of "Love is lived." After meeting this child, the main conclusion I reach is that children (if we leave them) are able to explain themselves with a lot of simplicity, honesty and clarity, compared to adults who often tend to avoid the truth, and we give a thousand turns to anything turning them into something really complicated.
I do not think I should explain what Franck tells us, because if you are interested you will see it and it will not take time (it lasts only 12 minutes). This child seems older than he is because of how well he expresses his ideas, that all start from sincerity and child purity.
In Peques and Más we have commented that child sexuality exists, and for us it is not a taboo subject (is it?), But I recognize that I have discovered when watching the video that I was not prepared to listen to such a small child talking about pleasure and happiness that is obtained by kissing or touching whoever is desired. I have felt more surprise than blush, but once overcome I have remembered having similar thoughts, perhaps with two or three years more than he has.
Franck also tells us about how boring the school is because there is only half an hour of recess (as now, things have not changed much), and also the children are caged and can't play, and live ... what do they want. He recognizes that children do have to study, but in his opinion the school is poorly organized. He is clear about everything he would learn if he were free to travel to other countries and learn about other ways of thinking.
Finally he puts the icing on the cake when the interviewer asks "Why do you think adults treat children as if they were dumb?", The child responds "because they think we do not know how to do things." He is convinced (and me too) that children when they want can be superior to adults, since they imagine beautiful and pure things ... not like adults "who are malicious".
The content of this fragment loses its charm if I transcribe it, so I invite you to meet Franck. It is so spontaneous and direct that we will have no choice but to reflect on his words. I hope you like it. I wonder if we shouldn't start letting children teach us, for that we must be willing to listen.
