Out Of The Cradle

Originally produced for Wisconsin television, this powerful human interest news story follows Steve and Jessica Kessler, a Wisconsin couple who journey to Romania, in the wake of the downfall of Ceausescu, with the hopes of adopting a child. Under the former restrictive political regime, Romanians were prohibited from practicing birth control and forbidden to have abortions--measures which resulted in many children being brought to orphanages (called "cradles"). Steve and Jessica found two children, both aged 5, a girl named Florica and a boy named Dragosh, but before they could legally adopt the children, the state required that the birth parents give permission. Thus began the search in Bucharest for Florica's and Dragosh's birth parents, and the tense interviews which followed once they were located. Out of the Cradle is a mesmerizing story that grabs you by the heart (though it's not manipulative) with an always wonderful theme: children receiving a second chance. The closing shots of the Kessler family in Verona, Wisconsin, some four months after the successful adoptions, just puts a lump in your throat. Highly recommended. (See GEMSTONES OF AMERICA for availability.)