Closure - Movie Review

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS GALORE!!!

It's a quest everyone goes through. Who am I? Where do I come from? As an adoptee, these questions are even more difficult to answer. How far would you go to find out? How much of yourself would you give for a chance for Closure?

When it comes to matters of identity, adoptees walk a tight rope. You want to know about yourself but you don't want to seem ungrateful to those who love you enough to make you a member of the family. There is also the matter of anger. Why did this happen? Why do you have to deal with this, when none of your friends have the same baggage?

It was 25 years after her birth when Angela found herself dealing with these issues. What happened next, no one expected.

When you sit down to watch Closure, you have an idea of what's to come. You will more than likely cry a bit. You'll laugh awkwardly at jokes and situations which you are entirely sure you should be laughing at. You will try to empathize with Angela's plight. You will try to put yourself in her shoes, see this unexpected quest through the eyes of this brave traveler. With Closure, you get all that and a lot more that you couldn't see coming.

Documentary style filmmaking is no easy task, you don't just pick up your camera and start pointing. There are hours of planning, executing and filming. Even more time goes into editing and narrations to take an idea for a documentary then ultimately see that idea in an intriguing movie that is pleasing to the eye is an accomplishment in and of itself. To have it turn out as incredible as Closure did is another level of accomplishment.

Closure begins, as Angela making a phone call she'd been waiting to make for a quarter of a century. A phone call to a birthmother. You can almost see her heart jump from her chest as the phone rings.

Angela was raised in picturesque Bellingham, WA among a happy full family. Our first look at that life comes in the form of pictures, snapshots of a happy upbringing. Teresa, Angela's adoptive mother, walks viewers through the history of the family and what brought her and her husband David to form their unconventional family.

They met in college, fell in love, married and had one child, a daughter, Elena. They explained that the intent had always been to have one child then grow their family through adoption. As David says "there are a lot of kids out there that need a home."

Initially the process to adopt took five years.

They adopted Shawna, their first adoptive child. They enjoyed Shawna's addition to the family so much that Steven, who had several foster care placements at age 5, would join the family a few years later. The growth didn't stop there. Soon Youa, a Laotian refugee girl that came to live with them.

At a matching event they met Kyle, a young boy who has  Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and he joined the ever-growing family as well. Next there were Keniche & Shanika from Kentucky, sisters who fit right into the mix.

From Tennessee, they would see a photo of a baby girl who had been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia. That baby was Angela, the focal point of Closure.

That was a lot to take in. If you are playing at home, that makes 6 official adoptions, 1 biological daughter and 1 Laotian refugee. That isn't a pitch for a sitcom, that is the family! With each introduction, photos of their smiling faces appear on screen.

It is at this point in the film that we meet the filmmaker Bryan Tucker, who happens to be Angela's husband. He explains that the diagnosis of spastic quadriplegia led doctors to believe that Angela would never walk.  He goes on to inform viewers that she was immediately placed in a foster home. That foster home would have to perform physical therapy on Angela just to change her diaper. After a year Teresa and David would fly into Tennessee to take Angela home with them to the great Northwest.

She'd go on to do a lot more than walk!

The screen explodes with images and video of a teenage Angela excelling in sports, track accolades and an impressive set of basketball skills.

The conversation turns to race relations in a small town. Quietly, Closure finds a way to gracefully address the issues that a trans-racial adoptive families face. Tales of walking 8 kids into church or a grocery store make the viewer chuckle. The "elephant in the room" question of  "Are they from Africa?" is confronted head on by Teresa, the family's matriarch who comes across as thoughtful and caring yet strong and resolute on screen.

Bryan and Angela met in college. Fell in love and got engaged two years later. Around that time the urge to know where she came from and finding her birthmother began to surface.

Of course concern over hurting her adoptive family would come up often. She'd explain that the need to see a face that looks like yours is a hole that must be filled.

Again Teresa's thoughtfulness as a loving parent permeates through the screen as she explains her bond with Angela being strong enough to endure the introduction of the biological mother. She goes on to say that they became equally curious and wanted to know nearly as much as Angela.

Everything that is known about Angela's mother can be found on a three-page form given to David and Teresa upon Angela's inclusion to the family.

It stated that her name was Deborah and she had brothers and sisters but moreover Angela had brothers and sisters too!  One of the sisters along with Angela were kept secret from Deborah's family and placed into foster care at birth.

The movie goes on to explain that because of the circumstances there is a whole family out there who didn't even know Angela existed, that she was even born. Compute that for a moment. A whole family that you don't know has no idea that you exist.

As Angela and her adoptive mother share time on screen, you notice the bond they share.

The quest begins with the crafty notion to find the birthfather first. With a unique name like Oterius, it seemed like the smart place to begin. That name let them to the name Sandy Bell, one in the same.

When they searched "Sandy Bell", they found that Sandy was a Chattanooga celebrity. Turns out Sandy Bell was known as "The Flower Man", a man known for selling flowers on the night club scene in the city.

At the time of discovery, Sandy was battling cancer and local news outlets picked up on the story, there sat Angela, with her husband with hours of footage and comments about a man they'd never met but shared the same facial features as Angela.

After confirming the likeness with Teresa, it was off to Chattanooga for introductions.

As an adoptee that doesn't know who his Dad is, I've dreamt of that meeting myself. In my scenario, he already knows who I am and tells me who he is. There are hugs and tears and we become fast friends.

Life rarely lives up to the fantasy, so I sat in my chair hoping Angela would have a good experience.

The scenes leading up to the meeting have an optimistic tone with shots of planes, hotel rooms and Chattanooga landmarks set to positive music. Smiles all around. They would find Sandy with the help of a local Chattanooga writer who had known Sandy for years.

They knock on his door knowing he had no idea Angela existed. The door was answered by Sandy's mother. While discussing the encounter Sandy's flower bike rolled by. They sat and talked for a while both equally in shock. It was a good meeting. Soon they were in Sandy's apartment where Angela would learn about her giant extended family.

While at the pseudo family reunion a DNA test was taken. The rest of the visit was spent smiling, catching up on 25 years.

When asked about Deborah, the family gives Angela the necessary information to go to Deborah's home with the intent of driving by. What happened next surprised everyone. Sandy hopped from the car, knocks on the door only for Deborah to deny that she was Angela's mother. Devastated, Angela watched video of the reunion shattering her core on each replay. There was solace in how much Sandy loves his newfound daughter. His joy is evident when he talks about meeting Angela.

Yet, Angela still without her birth mother to claim her. As she discusses Deborah you can feel the disappointment. She has a determination to meet her siblings but is very aware to not upset Deborah who is unwilling to accept the truth.

Through a series of Facebook messages, she would find an aunt. That encounter led to a barrage of calls from family members she never knew she had.

With each new family member, you can feel Angela's hope being restored. There was no guarantee that she and Deborah would ever connect but one thing was certain, Angela now had another family who loved her.

Remember that phone call that started the whole film? That phone call led Deborah to say " I knew who you were the moment I saw you." She explains that she was overwhelmed by everyone at her house and that she needed the encounter to be one on one.

Angela now had another mother to claim her. The joy, the relief on her face is enough to make your eyes well up.

Angela's brother Kyle decides to join her on her trip to meet Deborah. His insights on race relations and his birthmother is truly enlightening, adding another layer to the film. Watching Kyle deal with his own adoption was especially interesting to see unfold.

As the family makes its way to Tennessee, there is constant laughter. Adoptive or not you can feel the love the family has for one another. A homecoming barbeque reveals Angela's importance in the family she had never met. Deborah's sister Belinda seemed especially upset be everything that had transpired. This emotional outpouring was explained by the fact that it was kept a secret from her.

Through all of this self-discovery comes an appreciation for the adoptive family she has had the fortune to become a part. And the foster family that took care of her that first year. She took the time to visit them as well. The scenes with that foster family are very touching. Allison, the foster mothers' recollection of her time with Angela was heartfelt. Adding yet another layer to this already multifaceted project.

Sandy and Angela get to reconnect on the trip to see Deborah. During the trip, Kyle's desire to find his own natural family rises to the "Surface" (setting up a sequel). Angela learns that Sandy's child like personality has led to some drug use and frequent absences from his appointments for his cancer diagnosis.

A quiet can ride sets the tone for the meeting with Deborah. Angela expresses her need for answers as they arrive.

The tears flow as she meets the brothers and sisters that may have never embraced if not for Angela's determination. As the family that never has posed for photos, thoughts of what might have been if circumstances were different enters the movie watchers mind. This film does a lot to move the national conversation on adoption.  It presents common problems and concerns that impact the world of adoption.

A thought provoking moment occurs during the reunion where two mothers, Deborah and Teresa, thank one another for their part in Angela's life. The mutual respect is evident in both women. Deborah is steadfast in her knowledge that she had done right by Angela, but not without regrets.Together Deborah and Angela meet with the adoption agency to retrieve their file.

That meeting gave an often-unseen look behind the curtain. A retrospective of Deborah's decision to let Angela go is truly eye opening. Twenty years of pictures in an envelope intended for Deborah finally found their recipient. As the group looks though Angela's life in photos sent yearly by David and Teresa, you can see Deborah's joy for the glimpses into the years missed.

Before the meeting's conclusion, Deborah asks about her other daughter, the one adopted a year before Angela's birth. To her surprise the adoption agency also had a file on her. That adoption, though closed, did have some information to offer. An agreement was made to find out more.

They leave the agency to say their final goodbyes with hugs all around. Cut to Deborah in Seattle with Angela's adoptive family. As they drive through the streets Angela grew up on, walk through the house she lived in Deborah's belief that she made the right decision was reinforced.

Beneath the laughs and tears, the addition of Deborah to Angela's life, there is a film you should see for yourself. And for Angela there is closure, something she wasn't sure she'd ever have.