Every Child Is Born a Poet: The Life and Work of Piri Thomas

Poet, writer and activist Piri Thomas, who was born of Afro-Puerto Rican-Cuban descent in 1928 in New York, plays himself with verve in this documentary about his remarkable life and work. Thomas grew up in the ghetto, was a member of youth gangs, struggled with his origin, sought refuge in the navy, got addicted to heroin and was imprisoned after a notorious robbery. In prison, the angry young man discovered his writing talent and desire to live. In 1967, his famous novel Down These Mean Streets appeared. Now, after three marriages, six children and five grandchildren, the energetic grey-haired old man recites his poems like a master rapper and does not hesitate to crawl under a table dressed as an infant, terrified by his father’s wrath – another role played by Thomas. Director Jonathan Robinson mixed all genres, from children’s story to historical footage to recitation, to visualise this remarkable life. The result is a fluently edited film that widely spreads Thomas’s message, just like he proclaims it during his visits to detention homes: not a single human being in this world is lost, because in every child there is someone with eloquence, if not a poet. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)