Educational Media Reviews Online

This documentary is a youth-produced and directed film, providing personal narratives of three young people experiencing separation from their parents due to substance abuse, incarceration, or deportation. Coming to terms with the separation is a stuggle they each share. The film is built around a series of interviews with the youths and a few service-related organizations to shed some light on the emotional, social, political, physical, and even, spiritual effects separation from parents can have on young people. The use of statistical information throughout the film adds relevance and emphasizes the message of the film. It stops short of providing information on resources that may be available to families and youth, specifically for dealing with the separation from family. Growing apart may be most applicable to youth in upper elementary, middle school, and high school. This film is recommended for inclusion in school library and public library settings.