The New Social Worker Vol. 20, No. 4, Fall 2013 | Page 22

Social Work Goes to the Movies
Closure and Other Films Look at
Adoptees Seeking Their Birth Families
by Addison Cooper, LCSW

Closure poster. Photo credit: Brian Lee.

A

and a growing movement is pushing for
adoptees to have full, unrestricted access
to their original birth certificates and
other historical information.

A couple of years later, with the
support of her adoptive family and her
husband, Angela decided to search for
her birth family. Angela’s husband is a
filmmaker, and he captured the process
and the meetings for Angela. Recently,
with the blessings of all involved, he
released the footage as part of a documentary called Closure.

If you’re reading this as a student
of social work, I encourage you to view
the film. Angela makes multiple crosscountry trips to meet, and to know, her
birth family. The story is compelling, but
there’s more that makes it worth seeing.
Here are a few things that I liked, which
are important points for social workers
to catch, as they may inform our future
work with families touched by adoption.

ngela was adopted at a very
young age from foster care. Her
adoption was transracial. It also
was considered a “special needs” adoption—Angela had serious medical conditions, and doctors suggested that she
might not be able to walk. Through the
strong efforts of her first foster family and
her adoptive family, Angela received the
treatment she needed. She was able not
only to walk, but also to play competitively in sports. While at college, she met
Bryan Tucker, who eventually became
her husband.

Angela describes herself as an “inquisitive, curious person by nature.” Although her adoption was largely closed
to her, she wondered about whether
her interests and talents were due to her
relationship to her biological family. Her
adoptive family entertained her questions, and Angela eagerly looked forward
to her 21st birthday, at which point she
expected to receive her birth records.

What Angela received was a set of
heavily-redacted reports that left her
with frustration rather than answers. This
experience is familiar to many adoptees,

1. Angela’s family supported her desire
to meet her birth family. Although
they had mixed feelings, and were
honest about them, they did not
begrudge Angela the right to have
this need met.
2. Angela’s family accompanied her on
her trip. I can think of no stronger
show of support. Often, adoptive
parents express a willingness to allow their child to go off on their own
and track down their birth families
at some point in the future; it’s much
healthier, and much more conducive
to the adoptee having an integr ???)?????????????????????????????????????????????????(?$?????????????????????????)??????????????????????????M??)??????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????)????????!???????????????????)????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????)???????????????????????????)????????????????????????)????????????????????((??()????????()Q???9??M??????]????(($)$??????????????????????????)???????5??%???????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????!???????)???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????($)?????????e????????Q???
???????)?????????Q???%???????I???Q?????)???????????????Y???????????????)??????????
????????????????????)?????Y????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????)Q????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????)????????e????????????????????????)??????????????5??????I???????????)Q???Q?????5???????????????????????)??????????????????????????)???????????????????????????Q???)??????????????????????????????????+?q?????????????????????t????????)??????e???????????????????????+?q?????????????????????t($)5????????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????Q??????????)???e??????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????e????????????????????)??????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????e?????????)??????
?????)5M\??1
M\??????)?????????????????)???5???????????)?????????????(???????????????)??????!???????????)???????????????????????????????????)???M??????
?????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??5??????????????)???????Q????
?????
?????((0