We've all heard of switched-at-birth stories. Imagine the implications of such a thing. I have a daughter. She turned three yesterday. She is everything to me. When she was born and I saw her for the first time, I suddenly, violently, became the possessor of a type of love so intense I never knew it could exist. It is the most pure love imaginable – truly unconditional. It's a beautiful thing. I imagine what it would be like if I was told that there had been some kind of a mix-up at the hospital, and my beautiful little girl wasn't really mine, biologically, and that my “real” daughter is with another family. I, naturally, wouldn't love her any less – but what to do? How to process this? How does the other family feel – and what happens if they want to take my little girl away from me? Can they do that? It's a confusing hypothetical, and I'm thankful I never have to be faced with that situation – she is definitely mine.
The point: Village 8 Louisville Exclusives presents a film which tells just such a story, but with much higher stakes. The film is The Other Son. Joseph (Jules Sitruk) is 18 years old and preparing for his mandatory service in the Israeli military – but it is discovered that he is not actually Jewish, but Palestinian. The real Jewish boy, Yacine (Medhi Dehbi), was taken to the West Bank with Joseph's biological parents, who are Arab. Obviously, the racial and cultural implications are staggering. The mix-up occurred during an evacuation during the Gulf War. Now, everyone involved has to reassess their lives, their world views, and their very identities – a hell of a scary task.
The Other Son is scheduled to play at Village 8 until this Thursday, December 20, but this is subject to extension. Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchmans Lane. Further theater information and showtimes can be found at the Village 8 website.
Image: Internet Movie Database
