30 Minutes: Escape from the Future

Four years ago, 18-year-old Naïs Rojas and Yasmine Romeu dropped out of school, ran away from home and turned their backs on society. They spent most of their time living on the streets, aimlessly. What went wrong? Why do two seemingly normal teenagers become so bitter and disillusioned with life that they flee from society? Today, after guidance and support from a city social worker and psychologist, the two girls want to close the door on the past and try to make a fresh start in the adult world; they've decided it's time to grow up. As part of their therapy, the girls were asked to spend four months recording scenes from their daily lives--family life, friends, work and play. They turned the camera's probing eye on their most intimate secrets. Later analysis of the tapes in 'work sessions' with their therapists helped the girls gain deeper insight into their own feelings and inner turmoil. Over 120 hours of tape were filmed. A selection of these tapes provides the backbone for this report which also has an educational purpose. It can serve as a mirror image for many other teenagers with maladjustment problems, for their parents and for the adults who work with them. It is the story of two teenagers' open, frank look at years of discontent and fears and hopes for the future.