Must See Movies for Adults: The Kids Grow Up (Review)

 

 

Letting go is hard to do

In his 51 BIRCH STREET, one of the most highly praised personal documentaries of recent years, Doug Block took a hard look at his parents’ marriage and his own relationship with his father. With his latest film, Block turns in the other direction, offering an exceptionally moving film about his relationship with his only child, Lucy. THE KIDS GROW UP is a chronicle of Lucy’s emotionally-fraught last year at home before leaving for college. Moving fluidly between past, present and the fast-approaching future, Block uses a lifetime of footage to craft not only a loving portrait of a girl transitioning into womanhood, but also an incredibly candid look at modern-day parenting, marriage, and what it means to let go.

Bonus Features

From 51 Birch Street to The Kids Grow Up: Doug Block on making personal documentaries; Outtakes; The Block Family Reacts to The Kids Grow Up; In Memory of Mike Block

 

My Thoughts:

This is a very raw and emotional docu-drama chronicling the filmmaker's daughter over the years through home video, with the culmination of her heading off to college.  Every parent will one day have to let their children go and grow up –but, it is never easy.  And, we see this in this film.  Even though the filmmaker's main point is to capture his daughter, Lucy’s final year at home before heading off to college, we the viewer, are let into this family’s life, which has been chronicled over the years with film footage.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderful film, and one every parent should see.  But, there were a few times, I was taken aback but how intrusive the father got filming his daughter’s every moves, and some of the home movie footage, made me feel like I, too, was being intrusive by watching it.  But, I guess this is how the filmmaker/father dealt with his daughter growing up.  He wanted to capture everything in order to preserve their father – daughter relationship.  It makes me want to make sure we capture important movements in our daughters’ lives, so that we can share with them before they fly the coop, and then again, when they return home to visit as adults, and maybe parents themselves.

Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this DVD in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.