Found (2021 film)

Last updated

Found
Found poster.jpg
Official poster
Directed by Amanda Lipitz
Produced by
CinematographyCasey Regan
Edited byPenelope Falk
Music by Toby Chu
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • October 9, 2021 (2021-10-09)(Hamptons)
  • October 20, 2021 (2021-10-20)
Running time
98 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • China
Languages
  • English
  • Cantonese

Found is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Amanda Lipitz. An international co-production of the United States and China, it follows three adopted teenage girls who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe and travel to China seeking answers about their identity and family history.

Contents

Found had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 9, 2021. It was released on October 20, 2021, by Netflix, and received critical acclaim for its emotional poignancy.

Subjects

The film centers around three blood-related cousins born in China and adopted by American families:

Synopsis

The film follows three adopted teenage girls who discover they are blood-related cousins through the DNA testing service 23andMe. [5] After connecting with each other virtually, they meet up with each other and with genealogist Liu Hao from the company My China Roots to travel to China seeking answers about their identity and family history. They visit the sites where their parents left them, the orphanages where they stayed, and possible parents who gave up their children for adoption. Throughout, they and others wrestle with questions of identity and the implications of the one-child policy. None of the parents ultimately match with them, but in the closing moments of the film one of the possible parents matches with another girl.

Production

The director, Amanda Lipitz, is Chloe's aunt. [2] Found is her second major documentary, following 2017's Step. [6] She traveled to China three times over the course of the production, the final journey with the girls. [7] The documentary was filmed in the cinéma vérité style; Lipitz stated that respecting the girls' emotional well-being during production was a central concern. [7] Shooting was completed just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. [8]

Release

In August 2021, Netflix announced it had acquired distribution rights to the film. [9] It had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 9, 2021. [10] [11] It was released on October 20, 2021. [12] [13] The three girls reported that they were overwhelmed with correspondences from other adoptees around the world after the release. [14]

Critical reception

The film received critical acclaim and was widely praised for its emotional poignancy. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. [15] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [16]

Reviewing for The New York Times , Lisa Kennedy wrote that the film is "rife with poignant moments" and praised the "three beautifully complex" depictions of its subjects. [17] John Anderson in The Wall Street Journal praised Lipitz's sensitivity to the painful aspects of the story but wrote that its narrow focus left him with some questions. [13] Nina Metz in the Chicago Tribune called the film "deeply moving" and wrote that she was "drawn in by the conflicting feelings colliding at all once: Mutual grief and joy, but also confusion." [18] In the Los Angeles Times , Katie Walsh wrote that "Lipitz demonstrates a deep empathy and interest in the inner lives of teenage girls", concluding that it makes a power argument for a unique kind of familial love among adoptees. [5] Angie Han in The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film "goes out of its way to consider the situation from all angles, and what might look from the outside like a simple story spills over with complicated emotions once it’s been cracked open." She also praised its "unfussy, unhurried approach to the story that prioritizes immediate lived experience over detached analysis or splashy reveals", its ability to "[feel] intimate but not exploitative", and its "comfort with ambivalence and ambiguity". [19] In TheWrap , Ronda Racha Penrice wrote that "'Found' is told with such genuine love that it’s frequently hard to hold back tears." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adoption</span> Parenting a child in place of the original parents

Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parents to the adoptive parents.

The international adoption of South Korean children was at first started as a result of a large number of orphaned mixed children from the Korean War after 1953, but later included orphaned Korean children. Religious organizations in the United States, Australia, and many Western European nations slowly developed into the apparatus that sustained international adoption as a socially integrated system. This system, however, is essentially gone as of 2020. The number of children given for adoption is lower than in comparable OECD countries of a similar size, the majority of adoptees are adopted by South Korean families, and the number of international adoptees is at a historical low.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV Entertainment Studios</span> Film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group

MTV Entertainment Studios is the film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Founded in 1991 as MTV Productions, it is a consolidation of the former MTV Films group established in 1996 and the MTV Production Development/MTV Studios group of 2003–2021, it has produced original television shows like Beavis and Butt-Head, Æon Flux, Jackass, My Super Sweet 16, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, Clone High and The Real World and films such as Election, Joe's Apartment and Napoleon Dynamite. Its films are released by fellow Paramount Global division Paramount Pictures. The MTV Films unit was part of Paramount Players until 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashida Jones</span> American actress (born 1976)

Rashida Leah Jones is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. She appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series Boston Public (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series The Office, and as Ann Perkins on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). From 2016 to 2019, Jones starred as the eponymous lead role in the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca, and in 2020, Jones starred as Joya Barris in the Netflix series #blackAF.

Interracial adoption refers to the act of placing a child of one racial or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another racial or ethnic group.

<i>Last Train Home</i> (film) 2009 Canadian film

Last Train Home is a 2009 Canadian documentary film directed by Lixin Fan and produced by Daniel Cross and Mila Aung-Thwin of EyeSteelFilm. It won the Best Documentary Feature at 2009 IDFA and has been distributed by Zeitgeist Films in the US.

Nancy Schwartzman is an American documentary filmmaker, member of the Directors Guild of America, and The Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appian Way Productions</span> American film production company

Appian Way Productions is a Los Angeles–based film and television production company founded in 2001 by actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Jennifer Davisson serves as President of Production. Since its launch, Appian Way has released a diverse slate of films, including Academy Award–winning films The Aviator (2004) and The Revenant (2015), Academy Award–nominated films The Ides of March (2011) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), as well as the drama The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004), the comedy-drama Gardener of Eden (2007), the biographical crime drama Public Enemies (2009), the psychological horror Orphan (2009), the psychological thriller Shutter Island (2010), the crime dramas Out of the Furnace (2013) and Live by Night (2016), and the biographical drama Richard Jewell (2019). The company has also produced the series Greensburg (2008–2010), Frontiersman, and The Right Stuff (2020) for Disney+.

<i>Wo Ai Ni Mommy</i> American TV series or program

Wo Ai Ni Mommy is a 2010 American television documentary film directed by Stephanie Wang-Breal, and distributed by P.O.V.. The documentary follows the story of a then 8-year-old Chinese girl, Fang Sui Yong, who was adopted by a Jewish Long Island family. The film had its world premiere at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Gilbert (adoption advocate)</span> New Zealand adoption advocate

Sasha Alexander Gilbert is a Russian-born New Zealand adoption advocate, writer and media presenter, and is the founder of the organisation I'm Adopted which he established in 2015.

<i>Twinsters</i> 2015 American film

Twinsters is a 2015 documentary film which covers the true-life story of identical twin sisters, separated at birth, discovering each other on-line, meeting, confirming their identity with a DNA test, and exploring aspects of their background together.

kimura byol lemoine is a Korean-born, Belgium-raised activist, feminist and artist.

Amanda Lipitz is an American director and producer of films and Broadway shows, including the documentary STEP. She's also a former voice actress, best known for voicing Zoey in the English localization of the Japanese anime series Mew Mew Power.

<i>Blue Bayou</i> (film) 2021 American film

Blue Bayou is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Justin Chon. The film stars Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O'Brien, Linh Dan Pham, Sydney Kowalske, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Emory Cohen.

<i>White Noise</i> (2022 film) Film by Noah Baumbach

White Noise is a 2022 absurdist comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach, adapted from the 1985 novel with the same title by Don DeLillo. It is Baumbach's first directed feature not to be based on an original story of his own. The film stars Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle. Set in the 1980s, the story follows the life of a niche academic and his family as they go through trials and tribulations, beginning with an environmental disaster near their home.

<i>Circus of Books</i> (film) 2019 documentary film

Circus of Books is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Rachel Mason, written by Rachel Mason and Kathryn Robson and starring Karen Mason, Barry Mason and Rachel Mason. The premise revolves around Circus of Books, a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California, and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

<i>Ascension</i> (film) 2021 American film

Ascension is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Jessica Kingdon. It follows the pursuit of the Chinese dream through the social classes, prioritizing productivity and innovation.

<i>Mama Gloria</i> 2020 American film

Mama Gloria is an American documentary film directed by Luchina Fisher. The film tells the life story of Gloria Allen, a septuagenarian trans woman from the south side of Chicago. Mama Gloria premiered in October 2020 at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film received awards from the Teaneck International Film Festival and the Milwaukee Film Festival.

<i>Return to Seoul</i> 2022 film by Davy Chou

Return to Seoul is a 2022 drama film written and directed by Davy Chou, and starring Ji-Min Park as a 25-year-old French adoptee who travels to South Korea, seeking her biological parents.

<i>Blanquita</i> 2022 Chilean film by Fernando Guzzoni

Blanquita is a 2022 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Fernando Guzzoni, starring Alejandro Goic, Amparo Noguera, Marcelo Alonso, Daniela Ramírez and Ariel Grandón. The film had its premiere on September 4, 2022 at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in the Horizon section, where it won an award for best screenplay.

References

  1. 1 2 3 McDonnell, Brandy (October 20, 2021). "Journey of self-discovery: Oklahoma adoptee returns to China in Netflix documentary 'Found'". The Oklahoman . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Adhikari, Tara (October 27, 2021). "Identity and adoption: 'Found' follows American teens as they return to China". The Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ Tett, Gillian (October 13, 2021). "How three Chinese cousins found each other in America". Financial Times . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  4. ↑ Mehrotra, Kriti (October 21, 2021). "Where is Found's Lily Bolka Now?". The Cinemaholic . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Walsh, Katie (October 14, 2021). "Review: Documentary 'Found' maps a tender DNA journey for three Chinese adoptees". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Penrice, Ronda Racha (October 19, 2021). "Found Film Review: Doc Follows U.S. Adoptees Searching for Their Biological Parents in China". TheWrap . Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Piecing Together the Past in 'Found' with Anita Gou and Amanda Lipitz". CherryPicks. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (October 21, 2021). "'Found': Heartfelt Netflix Doc Charts Three Chinese Adoptees Who Rediscover Their Heritage". IndieWire . Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Brzezki, Patrick (August 23, 2021). "Netflix Acquires China Adoption Documentary 'Found'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Found". Hamptons International Film Festival . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  11. ↑ Hinkle, Annette (September 15, 2021). "The Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 2021 Slate". The Sag Harbor Express . Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ Sun, Rebecca (October 7, 2021). "Netflix Releases Trailer for Chinese Adoptee Documentary 'Found' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Anderson, John (October 19, 2021). "'Found' Review: Families Near and Far". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wissot, Lauren (November 4, 2021). "Transformations in Non-fiction Filmmaking: The SCAD Savannah Film Festival presents the 8th Annual Docs to Watch Roundtable". Filmmaker Magazine . Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Found". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 8, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  16. ↑ "Found". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  17. ↑ Kennedy, Lisa (October 20, 2021). "'Found' Review: Three Adoptees Seek Their China Roots". The New York Times . Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ Metz, Nina. "'Found' review: Three American teenagers adopted as infants in China seek out their family roots in this Netflix documentary". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  19. ↑ Han, Angie (October 19, 2021). "'Found': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 9, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.