Growing Apart: The Politics of Family Separation

Almost everyone eventually leaves home to make his or her way in the world. The young New Yorkers featured in this youth-produced documentary have had to fend for themselves at an earlier age than most due to substance abuse, immigration status, and incarceration. Eighteen-year-old Ana lives with her aunt because her father has a drinking problem. She worries that she has inherited his tendency to treat depression with alcohol. Seventeen-year-old Luis moved from Mexico when he was 10. He was happy while his family was intact, but then his father—an undocumented immigrant—got into an argument with his boss, and was deported. It's been six years since Luis has seen him and three years since they've spoken, due to the high costs of international phone calls. Now his mother works all the time, and is never around when he gets home. Eighteen-year-old Scarlett has never known her father, as he was sentenced to prison while her mother was pregnant (she doesn't disclose his crime). A self-described “proud weirdo,” the green-haired Scarlett has lived with 14 different families due to her mother's inability to look after her. Now she lives with five other relatives in her grandmother's one-bedroom apartment (fortunately, they're very close emotionally). Scarlett, who likes to unwind by singing karaoke, describes her life as a “tragic, beautiful song.” That phrase could describe Ana and Luis, too, even if they don't quite share her upbeat outlook. A thought-provoking look at teens in fractured families, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)