Movie Reviews

YOUNG PLATO – Philosophy for Kids 101

How young should you be to learn philosophy? I know I didn't have it as a subject until my third year of college. Maybe high school for some, but would you teach it in elementary? How will this be received? And will it be beneficial? This is the subject of this very engrossing documentary where an all-boys school in northern Belfast immerse itself in the world of Plato, Socrates and Descartes. These young students come from a working-class community in Northern Ireland, rife with drugs and youth suicide, with memories of country division, conflict and violence still fresh from their history.

As its strength, the film best applies these Socratic principles of self-awareness and ethics among young minds without going too much into the scholarly details and deep literature. There are many memorable philosophical moments: controlling anger, division of religion, and the different interpretations of an object as metaphors for diverse thinking. And that’s just within half an hour into the film.

The kids’ charm and innocence are mesmerising as they navigate the conflict and dilemmas of the adult world as it’s paralleled into their puerile environment. It is the job of Kevin McArevey as the charismatic headteacher of Holy Cross Boys’ primary school to uplift their mindset and thinking. His mission is to use classical philosophy to alleviate childhood tempers and control school bullying. On another level, he uses philosophy to illuminate and understand the societal divide and undermine social violence within the country. And yes, these young minds pick up quickly and contribute astonishing wisdom for their age. One highlight was when two students volunteered the most profound answers to the Heraclitus maxim of everything changes: your DNA doesn’t change, and the past doesn’t change. Some in-depth food for thought from some revealingly evolved children.

The narrative’s timeline extends up to the COVID pandemic lockdowns, which add another level of angst and challenge to everyone’s mental health. It is good to see the young faces mature a bit within the timeframe. A lot wiser, thanks to those mindful and reflective classes. You can’t help but think that philosophy as an ethereal subject can be pretty practical in its application to unblemished lives as they contemplatingly traverse the path to adulthood.

YOUNG PLATO premiered at the Sydney Film Festival 2022 in Australia.

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Rolmar Baldonado

Films for the cineaste. Were you moved, transported? Did you laugh, cry? Was it cathartic? Were you disturbed, affected, riveted? Did it make you think? Freelance film editor, cineaste and cinephile Twitter: @film_critik Twitter: @rolmar Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/filmcritik/

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