Reel Adoption: Examining Representations of Adoption in Popular Contemporary Cinema

Reel Adoption is an examination into how contemporary representations of adoption in cinema create points of identification, as well as perpetuate various cultural myths and stigmas surrounding the subject. Exploring the ways in which popular film productions portray adoption, this article will suggest how fiction has contributed to general perceptions toward adoption. I have used an interdisciplinary approach to shed new light on familiar films and bring a better understanding to the historical, social, and cultural context of adoption. It is my hope that Reel Adoption will uncover the pleasures and the costs of adoption narratives, and help you examine film in ways that you might not have previously considered.