“A Place Between: The Story of An Adoption” by Curtis Kaltenbaugh (2007, 74 minutes)
The film maker (shown 2nd from right, front row) surrounded by his birth mom and adoptive parents and his brother.
I saw this film at the NACAC conference in Ottawa this past week. The film maker was present and spoke briefly about his project. The movie is excellent and offers an incredibly moving portrayal of the complexities of adoption. It shows 2 Native Canadian (First Nations or Aboriginal, as they say in Canada) brothers adopted by White parents in the United States. The film maker is the older brother, and the younger brother is in his 20s (I’d guess, so just past the crucial years of adolescence).
It features both young men’s feelings and experiences with adoption, search and reunion, and their ongoing quests for identity. As the movie unfolds, we see them reconnect with their birth mother and watch as they come to understand her difficult decision to relinquish her children. We witness her meeting the adoptive parents and the 2 families sitting together in a talk circle to share deeply their feelings about the adoption and their thoughts about each other and working out their relationship. The birth mother is portrayed sympathetically and warmly, which has the educational effect of demystifying birth parents in general. She appears to be a strong, resilient, and loving woman who found herself caught up in challenging and overwhelming circumstances, yet who obviously loves her sons.
We also get glimpses into the drama of adolescence as the adoptive parents and younger brother make mention of his acting out behaviors and his anger, and their subsequent estrangement during those turbulent years. It is fascinating to observe how these two brothers in the same family react so differently to the adoption experience. The adoptive parents also come across in a very sympathetic light; they do not seem as clueless or naive as some of the adoptive parents portrayed in adoption films such as “Living on the Fault Line: Where Race and Family Meet,” for example. Perhaps this is because their children are grown (and as parents they are older and wiser), or perhaps it’s due to the film maker’s closer connection to them and, as a result, his more sensitive treatment and editing choices.
There are no happy endings promised here: The film maker shared (during the post-screening Q & A period) that his younger brother still does not have much to do with their adoptive parents, even after making this film, while the film maker brother remains much more connected. On camera, the younger brother comes across as very articulate about his anger and other feelings, and it’s amazing to me that he agreed to be part of the meeting of the 2 families on film. He clearly loves both sets of parents but is very clear on what he feels that he needs to be doing for himself culturally and so on. The older brother talks about how he feels disconnected from his Indian heritage and how his identity is much more reflective of his adoptive family.
Overall, this is quite an insightful film that should be seen by all concerned about adoption, and not just
those with an interest in First Nations adoption or transracial adoption. By focusing on the specifics of this one family’s complex story, viewers gain a deeper understanding of the universal adoption experience. Highly recommended.MHig
