I recently rented the DVD…The Kids Are Alright and watched it with my husband, James. Let me say that I highly recommend it.
The film follows two lesbian characters played brilliantly by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. They have two children who were fathered by an anonymous sperm donor. With the oldest child just turning 18, she is urged by her younger brother, 16, to get in contact with the donor so the kids can put a face on dear old dad, played by Mark Ruffalo.
This film is not about gay parenting as much as it is about parenting, and the complexities of marriage. What I loved about this film is that while it touched on the particular issues facing same sex parents, their children and the murky waters surrounding a sperm donor of a father, it’s much more about the struggles built into any marriage, particularly long term ones. Add children in the mix and it’s even more difficult.
The Kids Are Alright works from the foundation of reality, that these relationships are happening, and have been happening for some time now. It explores the minefield that every marriage, opposite or same sex, must walk every day in order to survive. It’s a brilliant film.
