Review: For some reason, I always cringe at rich white Americans who adopt kids from Africa. There’s something so Manifest Destiny about seeing someone in expensive outfits walking through a dusty village and selecting this or that child. There seems to be something so self serving in the whole thing that it just rubs me the wrong way, even if good comes out of it. And though Into Abyssinia seems to have good intentions, I couldn’t help but feel those same emotions as I watched. There actually is a specific scene where Carol Foster walks through this poverty stricken village wearing this elaborate dress as if she is a queen bestowing her presence on her subjects and its frankly sickening. Yes, she clearly is doing good and her attempts to open an orphanage is worth praising. But, call it a personal thing, I always feel the best way to help people is to be at their level, meet them where they are. Not just financially, but also culturally. So seeing Carol with her entourage of wealthy Americans on a quest to adopt children is just appalling. Of course, the film isn’t that great either. Beyond the basic shooting and editing, directors O’Keefe Foster and Adam Maurer allow their film to jump through time without rhyme or reason. Interviews jump, causing some confusion for audiences. At one point, an interview talks about the stalled adoption process then in the very next scene smiles and calls out to his recently adopted child. The scene would work well together if there was more context or a clarifying statement for audiences. But none is provided and viewers must wait several minutes before the circumstances are understood. There are a few excellent and moving stories in this documentary, especially Meron’s reconnecting with family and an older sister she never knew and one woman’s loss of an adopted son. They provide a level of emotional sincerity audiences can’t ignore. But these moments are brief and can’t make up for the rest of the documentary. There are better films out there then Into Abyssinia, and though it isn’t horrible, it’s not exactly a film I’d recommend. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 3- the lives of the men and women searching to adopt are given pretty much the sole focus Entertainment: 2- outside of a few moments, there are few engaging aspects to this film Technical: 2- poorly cut, confusing and only basic at best Overall: 2.5- the end saves the movie slightly, but even this grade seems slightly inflated
Into Abyssinia
Format: Theater Year: 2009 Running Time: 62 Min Distributor: Chautaugua Films Producer: Adam Maurer, Marius Crowne and William Silva Reddington Director: O’Keefe Foster and Adam Maurer Date Reviewed: 5-10-2009 Story: Carol Foster, a mother of seven adopted children, organizes a mission to Ethiopia to realize the orphan crisis plaguing the country. In doing so, she hopes to create a children's home in the country, for the orphanages are in a terrible state. Alongside Carol is her daughter Meron, who was adopted from Ethiopia seven years prior, a gay couple and a woman who recently lost her adopted child. Their lives are drastically altered by the children, as they travel from orphanage to orphanage (From AFF website).