The Child I Never Was poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Tobias Schenke, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Ulrike Bliefert, Walter Gontermann, Sebastian Ruger ... see more see more... , Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff , Jurgen Christoph Kamcke , Roland Riebeling , Stephan Szasz

A serial killer dispassionately discusses the nuts and bolts of his grisly avocation, as well as the youthful traumas which helped to mold him into a psychopath, in this disturbing independent drama f... read more read more...rom Germany, based on a true story. Young Jurgen Bartsch (Sebastian Urzendowsky) was raised in a family where his father (Walter Gontermann) barely acknowledged his existence and his mother (Ulrike Bliefert) displayed an inappropriate degree of affection toward him. When he reached puberty, Bartsch (played as a teenager by Tobias Schenke) was a young man confused and bitter about his growing sexual maturity, and possessing a deep hatred of those around him. Bartsch was a 15-year-old apprentice butcher when he kidnapped and murdered a young boy; he would kill three more boys in a similar fashion before he was captured by police in 1966. After he was found guilty, Bartsch carefully documented his childhood and his crimes in a series of letters and essays, and Ein Leben lang kurze Hosen tragen is drawn from his own words as it dramatizes his life and his crimes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

542 ratings

Critics

78% liked it

9 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Kai S. Pieck

Release Date: June 12, 2003

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: January 11, 2005

Stats: 25 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Child I Never Was
Upload a Photo | View All The Child I Never Was Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (25)

  • dizzynorman
    February 23, 2010
    dizzynorman
    As far as serial killer movies go, this one was pleasantly restrained and thoughtful. It was, however, rather slight and could have benefited from exploring other characters psyches and subplots along with Jurgen's. The psychology was rather pat and I felt that they were trying... read more too hard to understand what can never be understood.

View All The Child I Never Was Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jan Stuart
October 8, 2004
Jan Stuart, Newsday

It's a surprisingly artful and discrete film. Full Review

Ned Martel
October 8, 2004
Ned Martel, New York Times

In the end Mr. Pieck and his intrepid lead actor piece together a constructive look at a lonely boy's damaged logic and its hideous results. Full Review

Akiva Gottlieb
October 6, 2004
Akiva Gottlieb, Village Voice

While the serial-killer sob story subgenre rarely yields a nuanced product, Kai S. Pieck's debut feature finds a plaintive, compelling route to the pathology of 1960s German child-killer Jürgen Bartsch. Full Review

David Noh
October 19, 2004
David Noh, Film Journal International

This deeply creepy fictionalized effort is anything but an entertainment, nor can it be considered art. Full Review

Ken Fox
October 8, 2004
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

By the film's end we feel neither sympathy nor, oddly, total disgust for this most loathsome of killers. We simply begin to understand, and perhaps that's achievement enough. Full Review

October 7, 2004
E! Online

Peck gets points for being able to balance our horror and fascination with (and even sympathy for) this colossally screwed-up kid. Full Review

David Nusair
August 21, 2004
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...chock full of the sort of dance-around-the-actual-issue dialogue one expects from a pretentious European film. Full Review

S. James Wegg
June 15, 2004
S. James Wegg, JWR

Pieck and his able cast ... have come up with a captivating treatment which adeptly alternates between grainy black and white post-incident recollections of Jürgen Bartsch ... Full Review

December 6, 2005
Film Threat

Click to read the article Full Review

Ben Walters
August 16, 2007
Ben Walters, Time Out New York

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Boy Who Cried Bitch
    The Boy Who Cried Bitch (100%)
  • Mysterious Skin
    Mysterious Skin (100%)

More Movies like The Child I Never Was

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Child I Never... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Child I Never Was. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Child I Never Was to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?