Review:  ‘I Am Eleven’ an enjoyable portrait of kids on cusp of adolescence

Producer-director Genevieve Bailey wanted to make a film honoring her favorite age in life: 11. That’s when, she says, “the world feels big in a good way, and at our feet.” It’s also a fleeting period that bridges childhood and adolescence, some might say a time before things start to get too serious, messy or adult.

These and other relatable concepts are all quite nicely reflected in the documentary “I Am Eleven,” for which Bailey spent six years across 15 countries interviewing an array of 11-year-olds on a host of essential topics. Although these kids may come from varying economic, religious and cultural groups, they’re bound by fairly comparable levels of observation about their lives, hopes, dreams and the world at large.

Bailey’s subjects are a mostly charismatic bunch: warm, chatty, guileless and often amusing, but rarely precocious or theatrical. As they opine on such matters as love, family, ecology, bullying, religion and the future, a memorable picture of each child slowly develops. However, given the number and range of kids in view, there’s a limit to how much specificity can be jammed into one movie. (At slightly more than an hour and a half, this occasionally repetitive film already feels a bit long.)

The movie also proves a vivid travelogue as Bailey’s cameras travel to such far-flung spots as China, Australia, Sweden, France, India, Morocco and Bulgaria. The most fun: rural Thailand, where for some youngsters, elephant riding is a common pastime.

Why Bailey, who also shot and edited the film, eschewed visits to Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa remains a lingering question. Otherwise, “Eleven” proves a smart, enjoyable portrait.

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“I Am Eleven”

MPAA rating: None.

Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes. In English, French, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Swedish, Berber, Thai, Malayalam, Hindi, Dutch and Bulgarian with English subtitles.

Playing: At Laemmle’s Royal, West L.A.; Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Pasadena; AMC Burbank Town Center 8; AMC Rolling Hills 20, Torrance; AMC Orange 30.

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