“Real Mother,” directed by Tobin Carter

San Diego Short Film Festival

Drama

19:00

 

A young man (Case Walker) remembers a horrifying array of microaggressions brought on by his status as an adopted child on the occasion of meeting his birth mother, Cassidy (Lisa Winans).

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Xavier has mixed feelings about this reunion, but believes he might miss discovering something about himself if he doesn’t try. His adopted mother, Alice (Katie L. Hall) encourages him to go through with it after allaying his fears that wanting to do so makes him, somehow, a bad son to her.

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Most of Xavier’s flashbacks invoke incredibly deep levels of cringe, first from adults who should really know better but also from his peers who should also know better. This is made worse by the nearly absolute certainty that writer/director Carter – an adoptee – must have drawn inspiration from real-life hurtful statements made to him as he grew up.

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It’s a lot to digest as a viewer, as we’re getting exposed to a lifetime’s worth of prejudice in roughly 15 minutes. This is where Walker shines. With the exception of an early scene where Xavier is played by a child, Walker brings this character to life with palpable expressions of sadness, disappointment, naivete, hopefulness, confusion, anger – all written on his face as he reacts to the people around him. The mothers in his life are, relatively speaking, fine – but they don’t have much presence aside from “caregiver” and “care avoider.”

It’s hard to believe that this is Carter’s first film, as it exudes a technical confidence in every shot and most of the writing. Walker is rightfully the focus of most of the movie, but the people, sets and props have exactly the right level of verisimilitude to keep your focus from wandering elsewhere. On all levels, this movie works very well. It will definitely get you thinking about how you have interacted with any adoptees you have ever crossed paths with.