Directed by Saschko Steven Schmid

The 90-minute documentary film features re-enacted scenes and tells the life story of Alfred.

The 72-year-old was born in Achern bei Frutigen. Alfred and his five siblings were raised by their parents in a loving and caring environment. Their father worked the odd job as a jobbing farmhand; they were poor, but they had each other – and that was all they needed.

Alfred was sent away to work as a “contract child” at seven-and-a-half years old, when his mother became seriously ill and his father was no longer able to provide for all the children. It marked the start of his time as a child laborer, an experience that has stayed with him throughout his life. Even today, he still feels the hunger, the beatings, the cold and what it was like to be taken away from his parents.

He talks about his wishes, his hopes and fears, and describes how he has been able to carry on with life, despite all the suffering he had to endure.