If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle

The whistler in question is a deeply unhappy teenager named Silviu, in Romanian juvenile detention for theft. He gets by as best he can, trading cigarettes for favors and trying to avoid being manhandled by other boys. When a pretty young psychology student arrives to do research at the prison, he's smitten. A few days before his four-year sentence is up, Silviu learns that his mother intends to take his little brother to Italy. Desperate to keep his brother from suffering the same fate as he did, at the hands of a self-centered mother with indifferent parenting skills, Silviu begs her not to take the boy. When she refuses, he threatens her and nearly gets his sentence extended. Left to his own limited resources, Silviu does everything in his power to get the authorities' attention. IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE depicts the dire consequences of leaving young people's voices unheard. (In Romanian with subtitles) –B.B.