Director: Orlando von Einsiedel
For children, the idea of being lost in the jungle without their parents is the stuff of fantasy adventure films but the reality is far more terrifying and for the four children at the heart of Orlando von Einsiedel’s new Netflix documentary, The Lost Children, their miraculous survival over 40 days is still unbelievable. Following the search operation conducted jointly by the Columbian military and the indigenous people who know the forest well, this 95-minute search and rescue attempt is an extraordinary story of human survival and persistence.
Framed by the factual knowledge of the plane crash that killed their mother in a dense part of the Colombian rainforest where radar could not track it, the exact details of what happened to Lesly and her siblings remain shrouded in mystery until the end of the film, and instead von Einsiedel follows the groups of army personnel and indigenous searchers who set out on parallel missions to locate the lost children with very different methodologies.
Mixing retrospective talking head interviews with filmed footage during the different search activities in which indigenous searchers make early progress, locating the damaged aeroplane and finding trails of used diapers and baby paraphernalia that shows the direction the children took. But von Einsiedel is interested in the unfolding mystery of their whereabouts from the perspective of spiritual forces protecting or shielding the children from the hunters while repeatedly honing in on the many dangers of the environment with a few too many dangerous creatures shots designed to up the tension as the days and weeks tick by.
Some of the most interesting parts of The Lost Children explore the slow coming together of the army with indigenous search teams as they share of information, provide medical care and develop a new respect for one another. von Einsiedel doesn’t dwell on the political environment but the sense of collaboration, mutual respect and people working towards a common goal are well conveyed. Understanding more about the history on both sides would flesh out understanding for international audiences but the humanity of this story is its greatest strength.
More could also be said about the family life and aftermath for the children. Interviewing wider family members, doubts are cast on their behaviour and relationship between father and mother of the lost children while their grandmother insists they are actively hiding from him. The claims need more substance and are soon forgotten when the amazing conclusion nears, but it leaves an uncomfortable loose thread in an already tragic story.
von Einsiedel doesn’t break new ground in the chronological construction of the story, but the process and outcomes of the lost children’s experience is so striking that you’ll be gripped throughout, astounded by the things people can achieve when they work together.
The Lost Children will premiere globally on 14 November 2024.
The Reviews Hub Score:
Astounding collaboration
