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Written by Gregg Shapiro, Staff writer
Mar 25, 2010
“Off and Running”
(First Run Features)
Subtitled “An American Coming of Age Story,” Nicole Opper’s documentary provides a unique LGBT twist to the-coming-of-age genre.
The film begins with teenager Avery writing a letter to her birth mother. Raised in a Jewish household by adoptive lesbian mothers Travis and Tova, alongside brother Rafi (and later Samuel Isaiah AKA Zay-zay), Avery’s interest in her birth heritage arose from attending Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, which has a large African-American student population. A good student and a rising track and field star, it took Avery five years to finally write to her birth mother. She was held back by fear of rejection.
After a few months, Avery receives a response from her mother. It is warm and friendly, but distant. In it, Kay answers some of Avery’s questions. But Avery’s experience is different than that of her best friend Jenna (who met her birth mother) and her brother Rafi (who chose not to meet his birth mother, but made a connection with his blood brother and sister).
Following his high school graduation, Rafi goes to Princeton to study molecular biology. Rafi’s departure, combined with the lack of response from Kay and her new social circle in high school, creates a difficult and uncomfortable situation at home for Avery. Growing into her own person, she is discovering black culture and, like any teenager, feels misunderstood by her mothers.
Avery’s struggle with her identity confusion leads her to an unseen downward spiral. She stops attending classes and eventually drops out of school with a plan to get her GED. Feeling out of place at home, she begins to stay at various friends’ houses. In the midst of all of this, Travis and Tova, who are worried about and hurt by Avery’s actions, go to Toronto to get married, with Rafi and Zay-zay in attendance. And even though she’s no longer in school, Avery is allowed to compete in a track meet, where she finishes eighth out of nine.
Finally, a pregnancy scare leads Avery to meet with a trans-racial adoptive counselor who helps her get her life back on track.
“Off and Running” is a film for everyone, gay and straight, childless or with a houseful of children, adopted or biological.
