Eight years ago, filmmaker Ellen Bruno’s film Split concentrated on 12 children ages 6-12 who discussed the “often frightening and always life-altering separation of their parents.” In this latest film with the same format, 11 of the 12 participants who are now teens and young adults once again reflect on their parent’s divorce. Initially, viewers see short clips from the earlier film to show how the respondents who represent different cultures and ethnicities have aged. We only see headshots of each person and except for some title captions, such as “What Happened,” “Home Is a Feeling,” “Someone Else,” and “Hard Times,” among others, there are no posed questions that viewers hear.
The comments are articulate, honest, forthcoming, and poignant as some participants now recall going through multiple breakups with parents marrying again or forging relationships that end badly. Beautiful watercolor animated drawings and background piano and other instrumental music are the only accompaniments to the array of headshots that toggle back and forth between the 11 featured offspring of divorced parents.
The “kids” talk about moving between two households, dealing with different attitudes of discipline, coping with parents’ addictions, handling the loss of caring grandparents, trying to navigate step-siblings, feeling excluded and jealous, and realizing “it’s always how are they (the parents) going to feel” rather than focusing on their own well-being.
The film lists participants’ names in the credits, but it would have helped if first names were captioned to put a name to the headshots. Although this might be paired with Split, this is a stand-alone title to help parents, children, educators, and mental health professionals get a grasp on the effects of divorce and separation on children. Recommended bringing to light the potential ramifications of divorce.