Children of the Underground movie review ()

And with these stories, “Children of the Underground” includes nuance in its most sympathetic way. It gives survivors a space to talk about how some memories may be unpleasant, even if the events had a huge influence on their lives. That alone is an amazing part of the series’ bravery, which can sometimes be attributed to only getting these first-person experiences recorded.

In its broad look at the time, “Children of the Underground” also offers a startling context of how people did and did not know how to speak up about child sexual abuse in public or private. The series captures the growing pains of understanding mental health, which includes people and children who are mismanaged in the process. It is even more sobering when one realizes how some areas of the family court have not changed, or that the same problems may arise. Some may be tempted to see “Children of the Underground” as pitch-black true-crime fodder, but it’s more of an angry activist doc, similar to Cowperthwaite’s SeaWorld-breaking “Blackfish.” “Children of the Underground” is an epic about a man leading a charge against a system that was and continues to be misguided.

“Children of the Underground” has a lot to think about, and the focus on various survival stories and news is almost a bit jarring as it goes from one life story to the next. It’s hard enough that the series almost disappeared when it focused so much on the Satanic Panic of the late ’80s, and how it made adults (especially Faye) even more out of touch with the real horror that may be ongoing. For its content but also for its extensive editorial focus, the series can be the definition of “a lot,” and it is certainly not something that can satiate an appetite for sick documentaries.

As dark as the material is, its muddled visual approach becomes clearer. Interviews use a recurring motif of the camera moving sideways while someone is speaking; it tries to create a reflection for whoever is filmed, but it is not tied to the theme of the ideas at hand. The stories are best illustrated with excessive photos and videos, including all the clips of the time-capsule talk show, and the professional candidates of mothers and daughters while running. They are both unique in their composition but also in the moments they capture, these faces in the shadows, unsure of what the future holds, but driven by an inner strength that we hope will never be needed.

Overall, the series revolves around the idea of ​​whether or not Yager did the right thing, asking the same question people ask the caped crusaders: Who gave you the right to be a vigilante, and take the law into your own hands? That complex side about Yager and his work drives the series through its darkness, and makes the expansive narrative here compelling and haunting.

The entire series has been screened for review. “Children of the Underground” is now streaming on FX on Hulu.