Tuesday, April 4, 2017
The Great Gilly Hopkins Adoption Movie Review
11-year-old Gilly Hopkins has torn
through several foster homes in Maryland. She’s recently come to the foster
home of Mrs. Trotter, who also cares for W.E., a young boy who speaks very
rarely. Mrs. Trotter also looks after Mr. Randolph, her elderly, blind
neighbor. Gilly has no relationship with her mother, who lives in far-off
California, but a postcard from her mother has her believing that her mother
will come to get her soon. Gilly writes a letter to her mother, fabricating
some complaints about her foster home. The letter leads to some unexpected happenings.
(SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY)
Gilly’s mother forwards the letter
to Gilly’s grandmother – who until this point did not know that her estranged
daughter had had a child. Gilly’s grandmother goes to Gilly’s foster home, sees
it in a state of temporary disrepair, assumes that it is an unsavory environment,
and sets about trying to get custody of Gilly. This also threatens Mrs. Trotter’s
ability to continue as a foster parent, which troubles her because she cares
deeply for W.E. Eventually, Gilly admits to her social worker that the
allegations in her letter were lies. Mrs. Trotter is able to continue fostering,
but Gilly is brought to her grandmother’s home. Gilly’s grandmother is kind and
means well, but Gilly misses the Trotter home, which was the first place she
felt like she belonged. Gilly’s mother finally visits, and Gilly is
disillusioned when her mother seems disinterested in her. Gilly runs away, and returns
to the Trotter home. Mrs. Trotter welcomes her, lets her know that she’ll
always have a home with her, but also sends her to live with her grandmother. Sometime
later, Gilly and her grandmother share a meal with the Trotter home, and Gilly
and Mrs. Trotter exchange letters; she’ll have them as ongoing supports in her
life as she continues to adjust to life with her loving grandmother.
The Adoption Connection
Gilly has been in foster care for
much of her life. Although she feels very self-sufficient, she is in danger of
going to a teen facility; her social worker warns her that if she burns out of
this home, she’ll be sent to a group home. Mrs. Trotter is optimistic that
things will work out, and she isn’t shaken by Gilly’s façade of toughness. Mrs.
Trotter does push back when Gilly tries to bully W.E., but she doesn’t hold a
grudge against Gilly; her protectiveness and care extends to Gilly as well.
Meanwhile, Gilly has created a
narrative for herself that says she doesn’t need anyone – except the mother
that abandoned her. She pushes away a girl who would be her friend, and picks
fights with boys at school. She also steals money from her blind neighbor, and
enlists the unwitting help of young W.E. to accomplish it. In spite of this,
Gilly isn’t a bad kid, and Mrs. Trotter continues to care for her.
Gilly has idealized expectations
of her mother, and although she’s disappointed by her mother, her grandmother
learns about her and provides a home for her. Even after being placed with family,
Gilly maintains a relationship with the Trotters, who have become like family
to her as well.
Strong Points
Gilly is cared for – and
influenced for good – by her foster parent, her teacher, her neighbor, and her
grandmother.
Gilly’s grandmother helps maintain
Gilly’s positive connection with Mrs. Trotter, Mr. Randolph and W.E.; she has
bought a computer for Gilly to use to keep in contact with her friends, and even
shares a holiday meal at the Trotter home. Mrs. Trotter works to encourage Gilly to bond
to her grandmother; this is a very collaborative, healthy, open post-foster relationship.
Gilly is able to thrive in spite
of spending years in the foster care system, and in spite of being deeply disappointed
when she finally got to meet her mother.
Mrs. Trotter doesn’t give up on
Gilly, even when Gilly’s behaviors are troubling. She doesn’t ignore the difficult
behaviors, either, but she finds a healthy middle ground. With her consistency,
Mrs. Trotter got through Gilly’s tough exterior and was able to help her connect
and thrive.
Challenges (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Gilly tricks W.E. into stealing money
from a neighbor. Gilly is a bully to some kids at school.
Gilly’s mother appears only
marginally interested in Gilly, but she does care enough about Gilly to tell
her mother that Gilly exists and needs help. It’s sad to realize that Gilly’s
grandmother didn’t even know that Gilly existed for the first several years of
Gilly’s life, and as soon as she learned about Gilly, she set off to find her.
Recommendations
There’s a balance to The Great
Gilly Hopkins; Gilly wants to belong, but doesn’t want to be hurt. When her
grandmother takes her in, she wants to claim Gilly, but also wants Gilly to
stay connected to her friends. Mrs. Trotter tells Gilly that she’ll always have
a home with her, but also encourages her to get to know her grandmother.
The Great Gilly Hopkins beautifully
portrays a healthy, open, post-foster care relationship between a foster family
and a reunified extended natural family. This one seems like an excellent
choice for foster and adoptive parents, prospective foster parents, and teens. It
gets a high recommendation from Adoption at the Movies. Themes of rejection and
disappointment might make it hard for younger kids, but it is a charming movie that could be good for
kids ages 10 and up.
Questions for Discussion
Are there any people from previous
homes that would be good for you to keep in touch with?
Why was Gilly so angry? How could
she use her anger for good?
How do you think Gilly’s
grandmother felt when she learned that she had a granddaughter? How do you
think Gilly felt when she unexpectedly met her grandmother for the first time?
How did Mrs. Trotter get past Gilly’s
façade of toughness? Was it worth it?
What kids are you willing to open
your home to?
In what ways will Gilly be helped
by maintaining connections with the Trotter home? How can you tell it will be a
good thing for her? What helped her grandmother allow that ongoing
relationship?
Mrs. Trotter said that life is
tough, but that tough isn’t the same thing as bad. What do you think?
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