‘About Us’ Special Dignifies Children

If you have forgotten how intensely a child can feel emotion, or how much children take in as they observe and react to the adults in their lives, tune in to “About Us: The Dignity of Children,” tonight’s out-of-the-ordinary ABC special, hosted by Oprah Winfrey and produced by Fred Berner Films and the Children’s Dignity Project.

Under Merle Worth’s remarkably sensitive direction (when her technical theatrics don’t get in the way), children of all backgrounds, speaking directly to the camera, offer an intimate revelation of their fears, dreams, hurts and hopes.

Often, their words are poignantly accompanied by contradictory expressions--a sliding glance, sad eyes, a beatific smile, a shuttered retreat. Some of their stories are quite painful; this is not a show for children.

A few adults--Brent Staples (“Parallel Time: Growing Up Black and White”), Nicholasa Mohr (“Growing Up in the Sanctuary of My Imagination”) and Laura Cunningham (“Sleeping Arrangements”)--recall experiences from their own childhoods. So does Winfrey--and no, her childhood pain isn’t new to the public, but she presents it compellingly.

Worth’s overlay of a deliberately heightened theatricality alternates between enhancing the film and detracting from the impact of its resonant reality.

Mood music and “impressionistic” visuals--blurred images, silhouettes, frenetic cutaway shots, odd camera angles, fast- and slow-motion--at times convey the intended feeling of nostalgia or of a child’s perception of his or her world. At other times, the cinematic trickery and sound upstage the compelling words and faces.

The message is clear, however, often heartbreakingly so: Children deserve to be loved and their dignity honored. The humiliation of a child by adults is a killer--of trust, of hope, of possibility.

* “About Us: The Dignity of Children” airs from 8-10 tonight on ABC (Channels 7 and 3). The network has rated the program TV-14 (may not be suitable for children under the age of 14).