Four Letters Apart—Children in the Age of ADHD

A trio of Danish schoolchildren struggle with the symptoms and stigma of their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder while participating in an alternative treatment project at school. Drugs are replaced with an interdisciplinary therapy that includes massage, physiotherapy and sensory motor development. This honest and intimate film follows Victor, Martine and Marino as they work with parents, teachers, peers and siblings to improve calmness and concentration, and control outbursts, over the course of one year. Four Letters Apart is an emotionally rewarding experience that moves beyond arguments for and against drug therapy to provide remarkable insight into the children’s point of view. How do they see themselves? What toll does the ADHD label have on a seven-year-old? This observational documentary’s eye-opening focus rests as much on the physical improvement of the kids’ fidgeting and fighting as it does on their self-improvement, as they learn to love themselves and those around them. Angie Driscoll