On Saturday night I met some friends in Chicago to see a documentary at the Asian-American Showcase. The film was called "Going Home" and it detailed the journey of a Korean adoptee, Jason, who contacts his birth family in Korea. It was amazing--emotional, brave, funny, and so very meaningful to me, watching as a mother whose child might experience this in the future. It showed many events along the way, including his first letter to his birth mother, discussions with his parents about his background and family in Korea, phone calls and visits to the agency that he was adopted through, and many of his thoughts and feelings about his birth family and growing up as a Korean adoptee. It culminated in him meeting his birth mother and birth sister in Korea.
I was filled with many emotions while watching, but I think the most prevalent was gratitude. I cannot imagine the amount of courage and determination it took for him to open himself up to the most painful, intimate, and emotional event of his life, and then share it with the world. I was so grateful for the making of this film and the opportunity to see it. There are many important lessons for anyone touched by adoption. I will definitely be purchasing this DVD when available and watching it with my son. I feel like it would validate Joel's (or any other adoptee's) feelings about being adopted and searching for his or her birth family. For myself, I saw the love and support necessary from adoptive parents for such a journey as well as the realization that an event such as that doesn't need to be scary or threatening. If you are interested, you can find more information about it here.
After the film, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and interesting conversation at the Atwood Cafe. It was fun to discuss the film with other moms through adoption. These ladies are wonderful and I'm thankful I was able to participate in such a great evening!
12 comments:
I hope this makes it to DVD soon. I want to watch is again because I think it's the sort of story where something new will touch you on each viewing.
So glad I got to see it with YOU!
I have heard about this film, and I'm so glad you had an opportunity to see it, with a group of adoptive moms no less.
Oh yay! So glad you like it!! I can't wait til it comes out on video either...
I so want to see this! Thank you for sharing. I can't even begin to imagine all the feelings I would have while watching this. And how cool that you had the opportunity to view it with your fellow adoptive mom friends. :)
It was a great evening. I keep thinking about parts of the movie...very effective.
My post (with pics) is coming on Wed.
Thank you for the recap of this important film! I can't wait to see it!
Thanks for sharing - I'll have to check it out!
i wished i could have gone! but alas moving and a garage sale made it impossible!
i'm so glad you posted about it being available in dvd. that will be a purchase that i must make!
Thank you for this post. I have not heard of this film and saw that I missed it when it was in San Diego. I hope it comes out on DVD soon.
OMgoodnes... I want to see that. I watched the trailer and cried. I emailed to see if they are coming to Ohio.
I would love to see this documentary too. If it gets on DVD be sure to post something so the rest of us know.
You guys are so lucky you got to see this film! I, too, hope it comes out on DVD so the rest of us can watch it. Sounds like it was fascinating - especially for adoptive parents like us. THanks for sharing!
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