Off and Running : an American Coming of age Story

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Participants: Avery Klein-Cloud, Tova Klein, Travis Cloud, Zay-Zay Klein-Cloud, Rafi Klein-Cloud.
Documentary about a Brooklyn teen-aged girl, raised by two Jewish mothers and with two adopted brothers, who searches for information about her African-American birth mother. Her complex exploration of race, identity, and family begins to lead the teen into trouble in her personal life, threatening a promising career as a track and field athlete. She eventually picks up the pieces of her life, leading to inspiring results.
DVD, widescreen.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

One of my favorite films of the year submitted by pkooger on April 11, 2011, 1:59pm My family includes five adopted children, none of whom are the same ethnicity as our parents. Obviously I felt a strong personal connection to the family portrayed in Off and Running. Avery and Rafi have questions about their identity and the meaning of "family", but they look for the answers to those questions in very different ways. The same questions and struggles have come up in my own family many times, but each person's struggle is always different, and no two people go through exactly the same experience. Avery's story is the central focus of the film, and it is fascinating, but terribly sad. The fact that she manages to reclaim her life and turn in a hopeful and positive direction is amazing and inspiring to those of us who still struggle to find our place in our families, adopted and otherwise.