Splinter as a Great Adoptive Dad: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adoption Movie Review

Years ago, two scientists – O’Neill and Sacks – worked together to develop a mutagen which would be valuable for healing sick people. Their test subjects were four turtles and a rat. A fire broke out in the laboratory, and O’Neill died, leaving behind his daughter April. Now, years later, a gang called the Foot Clan is terrorizing New York City. April O’Neill is a news reporter, and sees the Foot Clan thwarted by unknown (and oddly-shaped) vigilantes. When April investigates the vigilantes, she is surprised to learn that her life has intersected theirs before – and she also learns some hard truths about her past. Meanwhile, the vigilantes – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – must prevent the Foot Clan from unleashing a terrible virus onto the populace of New York.

How Does This Connect to Adoption?

The rat and four turtles that had served as test subjects for the scientists were saved by April. She loved them as pets, and freed them when it seemed that they would die in the fire. The mutagen that had been injected into them caused them to grow in mind and stature until they became anthropomorphized. They’re basically humans. The rat, Splinter, developed more quickly than the turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo). He raised them and trained them in the martial arts. He calls them “my sons,” and refers to himself as their father.

** SPOILER ALERT **

April’s father did not die because of the fire. He was killed by Sacks, the other scientist. Sacks is more or less the adoptive son of The Shredder, the leader of the Foot Clan gang. Sacks hoped to develop the mutagen as a cure for a serious disease, and then to use the mutagen for leverage by unleashing a disease on New York and then demanding power for the cure.

** END SPOILER **

Positive Aspects

I like Splinter. Splinter explains that he had to show the Turtles how to be safe, “So I became their father and they became my sons.” Splinter is a positive father figure. He believes in the Turtles, telling them that they are destined to protect New York, and that they will be able to accomplish “amazing things.” He also reminds them that, as his sons, the Turtles must trust him. When they reach a certain age, he entrusts them with their trademark weapons in a ritual of aging. In a crisis, Splinter puts the Turtles’ needs ahead of his own. Splinter also encourages fellowship among the brothers, telling them “Your true power lies in believing in one another.” Splinter is nurturing, firm, encouraging, selfless, and wise. There seem to be several recent films with positive adoptive (or adoptive-type) father figures – Despicable Me 2, Admission, Chimpanzee, Instructions Not Included, Kung Fu Panda, Les Miserables, Martian Child, Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, and now Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all come to mind. Hopefully this trend continues; it’s good for kids and teens to be able to see aspects of their stories reflected positively in film, often without it being a big deal in the film.

One character is told that her father will be proud of her, so long as she stays true to herself. This is also an important message for kids to be told, regularly – that you will be proud of them, no matter what.

The Turtles’ calling card is an ancient Japanese symbol for “family.” It feels very meaningful. Later, one character notes that they stuck together because “that’s what family is for.”

Challenges – spoilers ahead.

We see elements of April’s father’s murder. Now that April is an adult, her father’s murderer tries to kill her; shots are fired, but April is unharmed. Some viewers may struggle with the depiction of violence, and others may find it difficult to be immersed in a story that involves the violent death of a parent.

Splinter uses dojo-esque corporal punishment on the Turtles. It’s played for humor, but could remind some viewers of trauma experienced earlier in life.

April learns that her father’s trusted friend – whom she has also trusted for much of her life – is untrustworthy. I found myself thinking about how painful it must be to think for much of your life that one story is true, and then to find out in a traumatic way that you’ve believed a lie. This makes me remember how important it is for families to talk openly and honestly about adoption from an early age. Age-appropriate honesty, protected by confidentiality, is way healthier than secrecy. But I’m kind of on a tangent right now. Back to the movie…

Negative Aspects

Sacks has been negatively influenced by The Shredder. One character explains, “his soul has been poisoned by a dark master [The Shredder, who is]… like a father to him.” While Splinter is a positive father figure, The Shredder is certainly a negative one.

Shredder mocks Splinter by suggesting that Splinter is not their true father. This could be very hard for kids who are struggling with questions of identity, belonging, and “real-ness” of the adoptive family.

Shredder stabs Splinter. Splinter does not die, but he is hurt.

The Turtles are shown in peril; a character threatens to drain all of their blood.

Recommendations

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presents a very positive portrayal of family loyalty, with a particularly positive adoptive father figure. (It also presents the same things in very negatively lights with regard to Sacks and The Shredder, but their story gets a lot less screen time and exposition than the Turtles’ positive story). There are scenes and recollections of peril, violence, and loss which could be traumatic for young kids, and the movie might feel a little childish for older teens, but I expect there to be an age window – maybe between 10 and 14 – where viewers will enjoy the film and be able to appreciate the film’s portrayal of loyalty in an adoptive family and a very positive adoptive father. If, after reading this review, you don’t think your 10-14 year olds would be bothered by any of the challenging or weak points, then I’d suggest watching the film together as a family, and then implementing one or two of the ideas below.

Questions for Discussion / Activities to Try

If we were to design a “calling card” for our family (like the Turtles’ use of the symbol for “family”), what would our symbol be?

What “aging rituals” can your family develop to honor the increased responsibilities and capabilities that come at certain ages (or at certain developmental milestones?)

The Giver Adoption Movie Review

After a great war, society has rebuilt itself with the aim of avoiding pain – and avoiding another catastrophe. Society has identified choice and differences as the source of conflict, and has created a new order, without choices, without differences, and without pain. Only one member of the community – The Receiver of Memory - is entrusted with the memories of years past. The current receiver is very old, and has been assigned an apprentice, a teenager named Jonas, who is expected to become the new Receiver of Memory. If Jonas fails, the community will be forced to face generations of suppressed memories.

How Does This Connect to Adoption?

In a way, all of the families in the film are adoptive families; it’s not positive.

In Jonas’ community, there are no choices. Citizens are assigned jobs when they come of age. They can apply for inclusion in a family unit. Family units are assigned children. One of the jobs to which community members can be assigned is “birth mother.” The position is introduced in the film, but is not expounded upon. 

In the book, birth mothers are described as a position of low honor; they give birth three times, and then are assigned to manual labor. Jonas’ sister is chastised by his mother for saying she hoped to be assigned to the position of birth mother.

The Community boasts that its children are “engineered by geneticists, produced by birth mothers, and assigned to family units.”

Jonas wishes for a world where people know who their parents actually are.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Jonas is the second apprentice assigned to the Receiver. The first apprentice committed suicide after being exposed to the pain of a child taken from her mother.

***END SPOILER***

 

Positive Aspects

The film does pay tribute to the value of history, memory, and family. The film also relates that secrecy involves losses and doesn’t eliminate pain.

Challenges

Jonas’ apprenticeship largely consists of receiving memories from the previous receiver. They are transmitted by the older man placing his hands on Jonas. In an early lesson, the old man keeps telling Jonas to sit closer and closer. Before he touches Jonas, the man says, “There is no way to prepare you for what I am going to do.” The scene is not sexualized, but it could be a trigger for kids in foster care who have previously been molested.

Negative Aspects

In the Community, there can be no twins. Jonas’ father, a nurturer in the neonatal unit, is assigned the task of determining which twin is healthiest. The healthiest baby is assigned to a family, while the less healthy baby is killed by means of a lethal injection into the scalp. We see one baby killed in this way, packaged into a cardboard box, and disposed of down a trash chute. This could be quite confusing or traumatic for some kids, especially given the nonchalant way the killings are carried out.

One of Jonas’ friends has gotten in trouble, and is in danger of being killed by lethal injection.

Jonas and his parents lie to each other.

An elephant is shot on screen. Later, a human dies on screen.

A governmental leader orders the execution of a protagonist.

Also, see the next section.

Recommendations

The Giver makes the short list of books that I remember fondly from my pre-teen years. Even now, I revisit it every couple of years. It was interesting – and pleasant – to see some familiar places and people brought to life in film.

Some of the book was translated pretty directly, though. Birth mothers are held in low esteem, family units are formed through governmental assignments, and underweight babies that might be described in the United States as “failure to thrive,” are killed. There are several aspects of this film that could be challenging for children who have been abused, and some elements of the film could be confusing and negatively impactful for children who are still developing their understanding of their own adoption. It could be possible for children to walk away from the film thinking that all adoptions are wrong, or that birthmothers are not very valuable. Either impression could be harmful.

The Giver earned an MPAA rating of PG-13, and I’d recommend parents abiding by that rating. The film might unintentionally overwhelm kids under 13. Kids over 13 who have developed insight into their own adoption story might be able to use the film as a springboard for discussion. If you will have your teen watch this film, I’d recommend watching it with them and talking it over with them right after the film.

Questions for Discussion

The Chief Elder believes that people, when given choices, will always choose wrong. What do you think?

How does the depiction of “birth mothers” in this film relate to the way people in different aspects of the adoption community think of birth mothers?

What’s the difference between knowing something and knowing how it feels?

The Hundred-Foot Journey Review - Adoption Movie Review

Cultures collide when a family of restaurateurs migrates from India to find a new start on the European mainland. Fate seems to decide the family’s new address, as their van breaks down in a small French town. They purchase a large restaurant which is directly across the street from a famous, Michelin-starred restaurant. The family draws together as they face fierce and unfriendly competition from the neighboring restaurant and – more troublingly – anti-immigrant hatred from some of their neighbors. While the family collectively adapts to France, the prodigy of the family, a young chef named Hassan, begins to fall in love with a chef at the restaurant across the street, finds great culinary success, leaves for fame and fortune, and starts to miss home.

How Does This Connect to Adoption?

Adoption is not part of the story. The matriarch of the family died traumatically in India, and the family subsequently left India for other countries. Some viewers will connect with the loss of a parent followed immediately by relocation to a new country. The prejudice that Hassan and his family experience may be familiar to some people who were adopted cross-culturally. Years after her death, a smell reminds Hassan of his mother.

Strong Points

Hassan’s family sticks together in the face of adversity, and meets some challenges with humor. They live and work together; the film provides a positive and touching portrayal of a close-knit, multigenerational family. When faced with family members’ frustrations about their temporary homelessness, Hassan’s father asserts, “Where family is, there is home.”

Even though Hassan’s family meets some neighborhood opposition, other members of the community are welcoming and hospitable. One of Hassan’s competitors stands in the rain to undo the damage caused by some vandals.

The film shows a family in the process of acclimating to a new culture, which could provide for some interesting discussions.

Weak Points

Hassan’s family left India because an angry mob set fire to their restaurant and home; Hassan’s mother was killed in the fire. The scene, and the subsequent sadness, could be triggering for viewers who consider themselves to have lost a mother. The scenes of frenzied mobs could also be particularly difficult for some viewers. A second mob sets a fire which leaves Hassan’s hands temporarily burned and bandaged.

Recommendations

I quite liked The Hundred Foot Journey, and found it to be one of the happier films I’ve seen this year. Except for the scenes I mentioned in the last section, the film is light in tone, whimsical, and often funny. It’s not likely to appeal to young kids because of the length (over 2 ½ hours) and, well, because it’s not a kids’ movie. But adults might quite like it – especially foodies, since the film does center around chefs and restaurants. Adults and teens in multicultural families could find it difficult to see the hatred experienced by Hassan’s family, but could also see the film as valuable for talking about the blending of cultures, the experience of being in an unfamiliar culture, and the different ways that people are treated because of cultural differences. This one is worth seeing.

 

Questions for Discussion

Have you ever experienced prejudice or hatred based on ethnic, racial, or cultural differences? How did you deal with that?

How can two cultures blend?

What foods remind you the most of your childhood?

Family Activity

If you’re part of a multicultural family, what dishes most symbolize each culture? Why not build a meal around all of those dishes – or even (if you’re adventurous) try to create one recipe that incorporates elements of each culture! Carnitas-stuffed pierogis? Kimchi burgers? What will you create? Have fun with this! Please share your newly invented recipes on our Facebook page! www.facebook.com/AdoptionAtTheMovies

Survey!

Thanks to everyone who's voted in our survey so far. If you haven't voted yet, please do! On a laptop or desktop, the survey is located right above the "subscribe by email" box in the top right corner. Help me know which parts of the adoption movie reviews are most (or least!) helpful. Voting runs through Tuesday.

Also - here's a sneak peak of what's coming up in the next couple weeks on Adoption at the Movies:

- The Hundred Foot Journey  (This Tuesday)
- The Giver   (Next Tuesday)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  (Coming Soon)
- Sesame Street: Gina Adopts a Baby (Coming Soon)

Gimme Shelter Adoption Movie Review

16-year-old Agnes Bailey lives with her mother, June. Agnes has been in and out of foster care for much of her life; she was detained at age 8, placed in a mental hospital, transferred to a temporary shelter, and then placed in a foster home. Agnes was reassigned every few months, was molested by a foster father, and was ultimately in ten foster homes by the time she reached 12 years of age. Agnes’ current living arrangement with June is not healthy; June struggles with drug addiction and appears to be abusive to Agnes. One day, Agnes runs away to the home of her absent father, Wall Street millionaire Tom Fitzpatrick. For the first time, Agnes meets her half-siblings and stepmother. However, Tom’s wife is not pleased to see Agnes. When she learns that Agnes is pregnant, she requires Agnes to terminate the pregnancy or to leave the home. Agnes runs away again. She is hospitalized after a car accident. The hospital chaplain connects Agnes to a home for pregnant teenagers. There, Agnes is welcomed and accepted. Agnes’ mother resurfaces, trying to get Agnes to return home to her. When Agnes refuses, June becomes manipulative and violent. Eventually, Agnes gives birth to Hope. Somehow, her stepmother has a change of heart and decides to offer Agnes a place in her home, but Agnes has already found a home at the shelter.

How Does This Connect to Adoption and Foster Care?

Like many children who enter foster care, Agnes was moved from home to home. She was abused by a foster father, but her story was not believed by those in charge of her case. It reminds me, as a professional, of the importance of trusting the kids in your care; sometimes, their stories will sound unlikely, but so often, they are true. We do a lot of damage by not trusting foster kids. One family I’ve worked with noted how much it touched one of their foster kids that they believed him and stood up for him when he said he was being mistreated at school. Foster care alumni watching this film might connect with Agnes’ mixed feelings towards her parents, her negative experience of foster care, and her difficulty trusting even those people who are trustworthy. At one point, Agnes expresses her frustration at feeling like she’s just part of someone’s caseload. She exclaims, “I’m done being passed off… I want out of the system.”

Strong Points

Agnes is strong, resilient, and ultimately able to stand up for herself and make her own decisions.

Some adults in the film – the group home director and the hospital chaplain – do not give up on Agnes when she makes poor choices. These are ultimately the adults who impact Agnes’ life in a positive way.

The film shows that a sense of family can be found in many ways, in many places.

Challenges

Agnes’ mom tells her, “Nobody wanted me to have you.” This could be a difficult scene for some viewers.

Weak Points

There seems to be a lot of trigger potential in this one for kids who have experienced some of the more negative parts of foster care. For some viewers, it may be validating to see someone go through what they’ve been through, and encouraging to see that she comes out OK. For others, it may be traumatic to vicariously revisit some of their own experiences.

Agnes’ stepmother tells her father, “I want her out.” Later, she makes an appointment for Agnes to have an abortion, without consulting Agnes, and tells Agnes that in order to stay with the family, she has to cooperate. She also abandons Agnes, which is a huge problem (see Earth to Echo for more). When she eventually changes her mind and makes a place for Agnes in her home, we aren’t given an understanding of what brought about the change. Even at the end of the film, it’s difficult to trust her. This could be painful for some viewers.

Agnes’ mother is a poor black woman. Her father is a rich, white man. By the end of the film, her father has made space for her in his home, but ultimately respects her decision. Her mother attacks her with a razor blade. This may reinforce some viewers’ negative socioeconomic stereotypes and prejudices.

Recommendations

Gimme Shelter offers a lot of material for conversation, and could be helpful for prospective foster parents and prospective foster-adoptive parents who want to understand what older kids in foster care experience. It could also be helpful for young adults who have been in foster care and who have already processed their feelings about their time in foster care – it is at its heart a hopeful film about a resilient young person. Young viewers, and viewers who have unresolved or undiscovered issues from their time in foster care or unresolved feelings towards their family of origin might find this film to be very disturbing to watch. I recommend it for people considering becoming foster and adoptive parents, but caution against using the film for kids and teens with ongoing or unresolved emotional issues.

 

Questions for Discussion

Agnes wonders why God wasn’t there for her. How would you answer her?

Why do you think Agnes returned to the shelter instead of living with her father and his family?

Of the different places you’ve lived – which felt like family? Which didn’t? What made the difference?