Family isn’t always what you thought it might be. Sometimes, parents welcome children into the world who bring with them challenges that bring a new context to the relationship between fathers and mothers, and their sons or daughters. That idea is explored in the upcoming documentary “Far From The Tree,” which will be making its world premiere at DOC NYC.
Directed by Rachel Dretzin, and based on Andrew Solomon‘s book “Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity,” the documentary explores the unique family ties that are formed when children bring a entirely new experience into the world of their parents. Here’s the official synopsis:
More than a decade ago, acclaimed author Andrew Solomon embarked on a remarkable journey that was at once intensely personal and unmistakably universal. Inspired by his family’s difficulty in accepting his differences from them, Solomon began researching children who fall “far from the tree” in a variety of ways. The result was Solomon’s bestselling book Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity.
Based on Solomon’s award-winning book, the new documentary FAR FROM THE TREE explores the difficulties and rewards of raising and being a child whose experience of the world is vastly different from their parents. Directed and produced by Emmy-winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin, it follows families coping with the challenges presented by Down syndrome, dwarfism, autism and even having a child in prison as they share their intimate stories with touching candor in an illuminating look at a complex bond.
Each family tells a unique story, but Dretzin deftly uncovers parallels that touch on issues of community, understanding and self-acceptance. Deeply compassionate, the film illustrates how families that face extraordinary challenges meet them in the most ordinary ways: with love, empathy, and a desire to understand one another, and encourages us to cherish loved ones for all they are, not who they might have been.
Featuring music by Nico Muhly and Yo La Tengo, “Far From The Tree” debuts at DOC NYC on Friday, November 10th at 6:45 PM at the SVA Theater.