Jo O-W

As an adoptee myself & someone who plans to foster with my wife in a couple of years, this movie was very real and very raw. I wanted to grab the adoptive parents - particularly the mom - by the shoulders and shout some sense into them so many times! But the reason for that is that their mistakes were realistic and hit close to home for me. This movie does an excellent job of contrasting the experiences of the fosters - who enter parenthood energized, optimistic, and laughably naive - with that of the children. The 3 kids start from a shaky foundation of trauma and distrust, but each of the 3 expresses this differently, their behaviors informed by their stage in development and individual personalities. It's exasperating to watch at times, but earns your tears at just as many others - which I find very realistic! This is a great movie that offers some little-seen insight into the uniquely challenging but ultimately thoroughly worthwhile process of building a family with no blood to bind you.

Would so love to see more of Angela Childs. loved this, loved how hard she went at the end. spoilers ahead: I hate when movies act like women are too soft and emotional to kill, even when its justified or in self defense. You often see male heroes killing the bad guys without hesitation or remorse, but it seems women always have to tear themselves apart with guilt, even if they killed someone who was abusing them or something. it's ridiculous and not how people really work. I appreciate movies like this that show women protecting themselves without a second thought.