Found: Netflix Adoption Documentary Drops

Netflix is dropping its new documentary, Found, on Wednesday (20th October), and it looks like it's set to be a powerful watch.

From award-winning movie and Broadway director, Amanda Lipitz, the documentary follows three teenagers born in China and adopted by American parents.

Watch the trailer below:

It begun after Amanda watched her niece, Chloe, celebrating her bat mitzvah at Jerusalem's Western Wall back in 2018, and questioned how she felt being adopted into a family that were Jewish.

Chloe was adopted from China and brought up in America by Amana's brother and her partner, in an experience not dissimilar to 90,000 others between 1992 and 2018 - largely as a result of China's one child policy.

Looking at her own niece's situation, the film-maker realised that there would be many others like Chloe coming to terms with their cultural identities for the first time.

Netflix)

And when Chloe got a 23andMe around the time of her bat-mitzvah and discovered she had two Chinese cousins, the plot begun to thicken and their investigation begun.

Chloe ventured on a mission with cousins, Lily and Sadie, to find out more about their origin story - a journey which was at times a painful one.

After some initial reluctance, the three girls travelled to Guangdong province in southeast China alongside their adoptive mothers so they can learn more about where they came from.

They were joined by My China Roots research officer Liu Hao, who helped them investigate the families they may have been abandoned by, and introduced them to the nannies who looked after them when they were kids.

Netflix)

The one child policy caused many baby girls to be left in the street when it was in place, because families favoured having little boys to continue their legacies.

The documentary paints a damning picture of these laws, and the impacts they had - and continue to have - on women who were abandoned.

But it also shows the beauty of adoption and the lifeline it offers people.

This sounds like a really moving watch.

Topics: Netflix, TV And Film

Joanna Freedman

Joanna has worked at Tyla for the last two years, and has a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches. Contact her at [email protected].

@joannafreedman