In the 19th century, children -- particularly the children of the poor -- were considered to be an exploitable resource of docile and cheap labor who were paid starvation (literally) wages. Anyone who had the effrontery to steal so much as a portion of a loaf of bread for any reason would (at the very least) go to prison, regardless of their age. As in much of the world, this was true in France in 1847, when this film is set. However, people of conscience were beginning to protest against this situation. The story takes place in a prison for children where conditions are particularly harsh. The warden is a thick-headed martinet who demands complete compliance with the rules, or the children will be brutally dealt with. The assistant warden is a more modern man, and is appalled by the whole institution, but seeks to begin by reforming it. To that end, he has invited a journalist to come and see the conditions that prevail there, in the hopes that she will rouse public opinion against at least this one form of injustice. However, the young prisoners have their own ideas, and when they take over the prison, it is with tragic consequences.
LINK ATUALIZADO: La.Revolte.des.Enfants
Alex, um adolescente skatista de 16 anos, mata acidentalmente um guarda na vizinhança de Paranoid Park, parque rodeado por ruas violentas de Portland. Ele resolve não falar nada a respeito. Ele e seu amigo visitam um mitológico parque de skate. A atração que a juventude sente por essa cultura, marcada pela liberdade punk e pelo hipnótico ritmo das rodas batendo no concreto, leva Alex a uma rápida amizade com um anarquista de sarjeta. Algo terrível acontece perto dos trilhos de trem, e de repente o jovem se torna o centro de uma investigação criminal. Mas que crime ele cometeu, se o cometeu? O mundo jovem reforça o isolamento que Alex sente em relação a qualquer estranho à sua significativa subcultura.
