Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Mother's Day Adoption Movie Review
Sandy, a recently-divorced mother, must navigate sharing her
mothering role with her ex-husband’s new wife. After Dana dies, her husband and
two daughters prepare for their first Mother’s Day without her. Jesse has hidden
her cross-cultural marriage and children from her estranged, racist mother. Kristin
is a new mother; she has not married her boyfriend because she fears committing
to a permanent attachment, and this stems from the fact that she was adopted at
birth, and never knew her birth mother. *SPOILERS AHEAD* At the advice of a friend, Kristin sets off to
try to find her birth mother, who ends up being a famous celebrity. Although
her birth mother initially is not receptive, she privately comes to Kristin and
begins to invest in her life, which allows Kristin to find the closure she
needs in order to move on into marriage.
The Adoption
Connection
Kristin was adopted as an infant. The absence of knowledge
of her birth mother has had a profound impact on her personality development.
The birth of her own child brings the absence of her mother more immediately to
her awareness, and she sets off to find her. Kristin explains, “I have no idea
who the hell I am. I was adopted and never met my biological mother.” Kristin
has kept her adoption a secret, and has only ever told her best friend and her
boyfriend. Kristin wonders, “Did she just throw me away, or is there a reason
she got rid of me? I have attachment issues.” Kristin has located her mother,
but has been too scared to contact her.
Jesse’s sister Gabby has adopted the sperm-donor-conceived
son of her partner.
*SPOILERS AHEAD* Kristin’s birthmother Miranda is asked
whether she has any kids, and says that she does not – that instead, her career
has kept her busy. Eventually, Kristin and Miranda meet, and Miranda shares the
story of how she met Kristin’s birthfather. Miranda shares that her parents pulled
her out of school for a year, never looked at her the same again, and did not
allow her to choose to keep Kristin. She explains that Kristin has always been
on her mind, and that Kristin’s adoptive parents sent her a picture of Kristin
every year. Kristin asks why Miranda never contacted her, and Miranda explained
that that was part of the agreement in the adoption. Miranda explains that she
never remarried or had children because she did not want to replace her high
school boyfriend or her daughter. Miranda meets her granddaughter and Kristin’s
boyfriend, and helps Kristin propose to her boyfriend.
Strong Points
Kristin has a supportive friend who reacts well to her confiding
her story of adoption.
Kristin is able to learn the story that led to her
adoption.
Challenges
Several characters have lied about their lives and
identities, and in most cases we see that the secrecy has caused more pain, and
that openness allows for growth and healing.
Kristin is initially shunned by her birthmother’s assistants
when she tries to contact her; that could be painful for some.
Weak Points
Jesse’s parents are caricatured, and say plenty of
cringe-inducing, hurtful things to their daughters.
Recommendations
Mother’s Day has been panned by critics for being
manipulative and unoriginal, but it does provide an opportunity to think about
the impact of secrecy on relationships, and the storyline that follows
Kristin
as she seeks to reunify with her birthmother is certainly relevant to adoption audiences,
and is actually pretty positive. Mother’s Day seems like a worthwhile choice
for adults; it does not seem likely to appeal to kids.
Questions for
Discussion
If Miranda had not sought out Kristin, would Kristin’s
search to find her still have been worthwhile?
The secrecy surrounding Kristin’s adoption might have been
intended, in part, to benefit Kristin and Miranda. How did it actually impact
Kristin and Miranda?
How could the issues of confidentiality and privacy in Kristin's adoption have been handled in a less damaging way?
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