Adopted (2008) User Reviews

Must See Film

[beth-504 · 10/10 · 6 August 2009]

This is a great film that explores with depth and honesty the gripping story of two adoptive families at opposite ends of the adoption experience: one set of parents in the process of meeting their adopted baby, the other facing terminal illness and trying to leave their adult adopted daughter, Jen Fero, with dignity and love by discussing some of the issues that have been unspoken within their family. We come to care deeply about Jen and see her as a hero, a very articulate hero, who helps us understand, once again, the complexity of adoption.

Adopted is distributed as a two-DVD set with We Can Do Better, a companion film designed for training purposes. We Can Do Better intersperses the firsthand experiences of parents and adopted adults with child welfare professionals talking about some of the challenges inherent to transracial and transnational adoption. Each of the five sections is between 20 and 35 minutes long, and conveniently divided into topics for trainers and parents.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we should point out that Pact Director Beth Hall and Lisa Marie Rollins, Pact's former Adoption Education Specialist and Pact Point of View Editor, appear as speakers in We Can Do Better. We admit our bias, but we really believe this two-part video is a valuable and important contribution to the field. It's not always easy viewing, but it's an honest and poignant look at the many layers of adoption, and the ways that we can do better to serve adopted children.

A must see film for adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents.

[minmiller108 · 9/10 · 9 August 2009]

I feel strongly this film is important for adoptive parents and prospective adoptive parents to see. As well as adult adoptees.

This film is about 2 specific families, and all families are unique, but there are universal issues uncovered that should be better understood.

I am confident that we are creating wonderful, loving families through adoption and this confidence allows me to look at the loss and the challenges and not ignore them, but hope to help provide a space for my child to acknowledge and work through any issues she faces. That we face as a family.

Had potential, but way out of balance

[prizm4 · 3/10 · 10 July 2010]

Through the whole documentary there's only one adopted person that's really interviewed. And she's a nutcase. She makes some valid points about wanting her family to validate her heritage, and at first it seems like her parents aren't really hearing what she's saying and you feel kinda sorry for her.

But as time goes by you realize that the parents must've heard her whine about the same things over and over for who knows how long. The whole thing has run its course with them, and they're over her whinging. The adopted girl (now an adult) is self-focused, over-sensitive, and seems to blow things out of proportion.

Turns out she has some kind of prescription drug problem.

The other part of the documentary is a family that is adopting a child from China. You see them talking to the adoption agency, and picking up their child in China. This part is interesting and moving.

This documentary definitely needed interviews with other adopted asians to help balance it out. The only message it seems to give is don't neglect to be interested in your child's heritage, or they'll end up with major psychological problems. It's just not a fair representation.