Off And Running (2009)

87% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(128 ratings)

An intimate and earnest examination of race, gender identity, and the definition of "family," this sociological documentary chronicle filters said themes through the eyes of Avery Klein-Cloud, an intelligent and generally well-adjusted teenager from Brooklyn with decidedly unusual circumstances.… More An intimate and earnest examination of race, gender identity, and the definition of "family," this sociological documentary chronicle filters said themes through the eyes of Avery Klein-Cloud, an intelligent and generally well-adjusted teenager from Brooklyn with decidedly unusual circumstances. Though African-American herself, Avery grew up with two Jewish lesbian foster mothers, who also adopted two boys, one Korean and the other of mixed ethnicity. Encouraged by both mothers to get in touch with her biological mom for the first time, Avery writes a letter to the woman, but this decision sparks a profound identity crisis in Avery and contributes to increasingly disturbing behavior. As she questions who she is, she also begins spending lengthy periods of time away from home, drops out of school, and suffers from feelings of isolation and abandonment -- and her plan to attend university on a track-and-field scholarship seems increasingly unlikely. What therefore commences as a meaningful journey of self-enlightenment regresses into a far more dangerous personal crisis for the young woman. ~ Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Nicole Opper, Edward Bianchi
Genres: Documentary, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jan 29, 2010 Limited
On DVD: Aug 17, 2010
Studio: First Run Features

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
A patient, slightly stiff, often intensely moving portrait of a girl who believes her choices are literally black and white.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
The director, Nicole Opper, makes space for the complexities of transracial adoption without forcing her film into a predetermined, inspirational box.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
As the father of an adopted daughter, I was very moved. But the film is so well done that just about anybody will have that feeling.
Ella Taylor, Village Voice
Opper doesn't angle for a climactic group hug, but she sticks around long enough to allow us to exhale while this intelligent young woman begins to set herself, quite literally, back on track.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
What at first looks like a heartwarming portrait of a highly blended modern family turns into a no less engrossing illustration of that situation's possible pitfalls in Off and Running.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
Inspirational Documentary Features Blended Family Comprised of Lesbian Couple and Adopted Kids.
Fr. Chris Carpenter, Movie Dearest
An excellent, insightful exploration of a contemporary American family...Unquestionably more true-to-life than a certain current movie starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.
Adam Lippe, Examiner.com
Off and Running is so careful about being non-judgmental, that it dares you to judge it for being too diverse and multi-cultural. Was this POV chosen so we could chastise ourselves for not accepting someone because they are "different?"
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...a personal and insightful character study
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
This documentary not only provides a look at a most unique and diverse family, but provides a subtext of environment vs. heredity
Robert Levin, Critic's Notebook
Blessed with candid subjects, a sure sense of emotional honesty and an eye for drawing out the power of small moments, Opper has produced a memorable, deeply affecting film.
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Captures raw emotion of adopted teen grappling with her African-American identity -- happy ever after is subjective in America where race makes everything more complicated.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
Nice coming-of-age doc about an African-American teen who shares a Brooklyn brownstone with the white Jewish lesbian parents who adopted her and two adopted siblings.
Jennifer Merin, About.com
Plots of coming of age narrative features often exploit teenagers' raging hormones and explore the high jinx fueled by them. In contrast, Nicole Opper's coming of age documentary is a serious study about an adolescent's search for her personal identity
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
the more stilted, scripted moments that make the whole thing seem false, and take away from the thrust of the movie
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine
Director Nicole Opper never resorts to promoting reductive, campus counselor-esque values.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Ultimately uplifting, this endearing bio-pic offers a wonderful warts-and-all look from the inside out at both the blessings and challenges of trans-cultural adoption.