Mother and Child

A gripping tale of the primal urge of a mother to find her kin. And for a kin to find her mother. In this day and age, is finding where you really came from important, or more so, a matter of life and death? Modern thinking seem to elude us of the sentimentality of the importance of getting to know your roots, where you are and where you came from. I guess more than the emotion of wanting to be complete, and of wanting to piece your identity into a whole, the importance of finding where you came from is an urge, a need, a primal urge that has been evident with all living things ever since the world begun.

One thing I noticed in the characters are their reactions to abandonment. The character Elizabeth, became a cold, take charge dominatrix who uses sex to punish men and the people around her. Her pent up anger for being abandoned and given away gave her so much motivation to alienate and look down at unknowing people.

As I was brainstorming with myself, I realized that a common kind of reaction of an adopted child would be to please people so much, to try to do anything and everything in her power for people to like her, so that people won't give her away like her mother did. This is evident, at least in local movies and television. This kind of character has the workings of a heroine. But again, heroines can get really bland at most times.

Another kind of reaction would be a character with abandonment issues - someone who thinks that she may not be good enough, an insecure character whose satisfaction and victories depend on how other people see her and regard her victories. The kind whose satisfaction depend on the approval of other people.

Among the three reactions, what made the movie unique in a way is the kind of edgy characterization given to Elizabeth. That's the initial hook of the story.

Back to the movie. I believe that what the movie suggests is the impact of this tragedy upon the people involved. It also suggests that motherhood is a natural thing and people who have not experienced it might be in trouble later in life. The lack of touch and care of a mother might make a person cold and impersonal.

The movie also made a harsh critique on adoption. Nowadays, when you're unable to conceive, you can have easily adopt. With a number of babies being abandoned by their mothers, . It is a widely accepted phenomenon made even cooler by various celebrities who are adopting from third world countries. But this movie made me think: is adoption really an unnatural thing?

Sentimental, and unnatural yes. It is like stealing the time and opportunity of the child to spend time with her biological daughter.

Practical yes, compassionate, yes.

However, the movie did not actually show adoption in a critical light.What transpired is a mere and slight discussion about it. And the reality is, even if "the time spent with each other is more important than blood", there are still some people who regard adoption as if it were taboo. People think, why would I want to take care of a complete stranger?

See even if adopted babies are not the flesh and blood of the parents, it is still our duty as human beings to take care of one another. The primal might overcome the societal benefits of adoption. I'm for it. In fact, I never actually thought that it was an issue until this movie. Which for me, is an eyeopener. A truth like cold water splashed on the face.