Clearly so much has changed even in the 20 years since this movie was made. It was as if it was an either/or choice as to whether the child is forced into a family situation that the parents, as well as the social services, could only bring trauma all over again to the child after he is found. And that it did.
Why would he need to choose between the man, 2 blocks away, who considers him dad and the biological parents, no matter how the situation occurred? The simple answer is he should not have had to make such a choice. Even the ending does not resolve that issue. Could he not have spent half his time with his bio family and half with his adoptive dad, at least until he was ready to decide who he was most ready to live with? Or perhaps just keep it open and let him consider both families his?
The parents act as though the adoptive father was an enemy and do not even invite him into the house. Downright cruel and creepy. I am glad that social services now realize more often that both adoptive and biological relationships are forever important to the child in question. Period. Apparently they didn't know it back then, and yet I think even at that time open adoptions and other such arrangements were possible.
All in all I thought it was a poor movie, yet well acted. Some of the reviews see it exactly the opposite--great movie but not well acted, but I think as stated that the rigid either/or choice given to Ben/Sam was utterly traumatic and not something that helps anyone concerned. To me that was the real false dilemma created by the unwillingness or inability to think outside the box here.
Why would he need to choose between the man, 2 blocks away, who considers him dad and the biological parents, no matter how the situation occurred? The simple answer is he should not have had to make such a choice. Even the ending does not resolve that issue. Could he not have spent half his time with his bio family and half with his adoptive dad, at least until he was ready to decide who he was most ready to live with? Or perhaps just keep it open and let him consider both families his?
The parents act as though the adoptive father was an enemy and do not even invite him into the house. Downright cruel and creepy. I am glad that social services now realize more often that both adoptive and biological relationships are forever important to the child in question. Period. Apparently they didn't know it back then, and yet I think even at that time open adoptions and other such arrangements were possible.
All in all I thought it was a poor movie, yet well acted. Some of the reviews see it exactly the opposite--great movie but not well acted, but I think as stated that the rigid either/or choice given to Ben/Sam was utterly traumatic and not something that helps anyone concerned. To me that was the real false dilemma created by the unwillingness or inability to think outside the box here.