Tuesday, April 21, 2015
A Simple Piece of Paper Adoption Movie Review
In Jean Straus’ recent documentary A Simple Piece of Paper, she asks, “What if you
were adopted, and could never see the record of your own birth? What would it
feel like if your state finally let you have this simple piece of paper?”
Straus invites us into the stories of several adults – some
in their thirties, some middle-aged, and some senior citizens, who receive
their birth certificates for the first time. I struck by the sight of an adult
adoptee who was brought to tears by receiving his original birth certificate
for the first time at age 74. Even after a life has been nearly fully lived,
questions of origin still seem to have remained powerful in the back of his
mind.
These adults receive more than information, sometimes. One
learned that she was the third of three children; she reached out and found a
sibling, and explained while meeting him, “For 60 years I’ve wanted a brother.
Now I’ve got one.”
This film is successful in connecting us with the emotions
of the people who finally receive answers to lifelong questions. It’s particularly
successful in that Straus’ subjects speak honestly and insightfully. Here are
some of the more powerful statements that have stuck with me:
“Were you born on your birthday?”
“This will show that I was actually born.”
“The State has kept me from knowing who I am.”
We’re introduced to the impact of learning one’s birthname
for the first time. We see that a recurring
theme is the question that many of these adult adoptees had been silently
asking of their birthparents all their lives long, “Did you think of me?” When
an answer is given to that question, it seems to always be, “Yes.” One man, Bill,
now perhaps in his sixties, finally learns the name of his birthmother. She had
kept him a secret from her family, and by the time he reaches out to his
family, his mother has died. No one in his family knew about him, and yet, when
they searched through the wallet of the family matriarch, they found, hidden
behind a picture of a daughter that she raised, a photograph of Bill as an
infant. She had carried his photo with her for sixty years. Even though she
kept her secret, she thought of him.
Some of the adoptees had less happy outcomes. Some receive less
information; some receive birth
certificates where the names of father and
mother were never filled out. We hear their pain and anger. Some are turned
away by their families. Even through pain, one says, “If it’s incomplete, or
not the answer you hope for, it’s still an answer.”
This short film captures pain and joy, rejection and
reunion. It’s powerful and touching, and effectively shows the value of
adoptees having access to their original birth certificates.
A Simple Piece of Paper is best suited to teens and adults.
It’s worth seeing and worth sharing.
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First I'm learning about this movie. I'm looking forward to it. I hope it helps the effort to get that "Simple Piece of Paper" in NY and other states. According to the NYS Adoption Registry non-identifying information I was the 5th child in the family. Four siblings I've never known.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for your comment. I agree with you - I hope that Simple Piece of Paper and other films like it, and other voices like it, can help to create a culture that realizes that original birth certificates are a basic human right.
DeletePlz Listen And Share my New Song for Adoptee Rights
ReplyDeleteA Simple Piece Of Paper: https://t.co/OF0soE793V
#simplepieceofpaper
When will this movie be out for the public to see? I would love to see it. I have just written a book with by birth sister, Two Peas In A Separated Pod: A True Story of Adoption. It would be a dream come true to see it on the big screen!
ReplyDeleteHi Jean! Congratulations on writing your book! The film is available for purchase through their website: http://www.asimplepieceofpaper.com/
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