Parallelle planeten

Running 24m and made in Belgium, Parallelle planeten (1956) is a film in the 123movies catalog. Jean Harlez directs. The voice-over leaves little to the imagination: the aim of the film is to expose the wretched living conditions in the Marolles. In this run-down working-class area in the shadow of the Law Courts, children and adults live on different planets. For the children the street, a courtyard or wasteland are a playground. A site where social housing is to be built is an ideal spot on which to build a camp. While the women do the housework and the men go to work or linger in a bar, the children meet up at their secret location. The accompanying voice-over points out the typical character of the working-class area. Many of the images from this film are also to be found in the full-length film Jean Harlez made about this city neighbourhood (Le chantier des gosses, The kids' building site 1956).