First Review: Find My Family
- Published by David Knox
- on
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NB: Please contact Seven for all enquiries to this show. No personal enquiries will be accepted or published here.
They often say there are only seven story ideas in the world, and family reunions were often part of 1960s variety / game shows. “Remember this voice?” a host would ask Aunty Beryl. “Yes it’s your long lost sister and we’ve flown her all the way from Hobart.” Cue emotional reunion…..
Find My Family, fronted by Jack Thompson, is essentially built on the same premise, but focuses on adoptive children finding their next of kin. In the first episode we meet a young mother who has her own happy family, but never knew her mother. There is also a young dad who is estranged from his father. They share the anguish of a missing chapter in their lives and how they would dearly love to meet their missing parents.
Certainly there is some “blue sky” television to be mined from the moments that bring distant relatives together. The show hooks you in to their story so that you have some emotional investment. But it raises a lot of questions that seem to go unanswered.
Thompson, who was himself an adoptee, only introduces and narrates the series. This is a habit of many factual series, which neglect to put the presenter into the picture (Damian Walshe-Howling is notably having on-screen duties says the press release for Crash Investigation Unit: Australia, it will give the show all the more cred.) In Family Footsteps we hear the voice, and see the hand, of a female who interacts with the subject. It’s a mystery who she is, never given any on-air shots.
There is also a huge chunk missing in the storytelling. After hearing a young mum describe how she would like to meet her own mother, the unnamed presenter says “we’ve found her” and hands over a photo. The tears flow. But how did they find her? It’s never explained. Surely this detective work is just as fascinating as the actual reunion? And what is the reaction of having a production company ring them up out of the blue to say “Hi, you’ve never heard of us but we’ve found your long lost daughter?” We’ll never know.
Post reunion, Thompson gives us a bite-size description of how well everybody is getting along since being reunited by Family Footsteps.
I also wonder how young the subjects will be on this show. Presumably over 18. It could be too traumatic to reunite teenage or primary-aged children with parents.
The irony here is that it was the detective work of Thompson retracing his own family tree that made SBS’ Who Do You Think You Are So compelling.
Find My Family only aims to get the smiles and tears, skipping too much of the storytelling.
Find My Family will premiere on Seven post-Olympics.
6 Responses
dear jack i have put in a requst about finding my daughter.but i cant seem to get help from anybody. could you please try and get me on to someone that could help me in finding my daughter hoping to hear from you soon
Please contact the Seven Network via their website. Good luck. (ps. they have had thousands of requests.)
sometimes finding a long lost one is beyond difficult to the point where it becomes illusionary impossible. The person who gave up their child have, had their emotions sprung into cyclonic turmoil – in a world of spinning chaos there is no choice for fight. Losing a child is not like losing your leg or arm… Losing a child is not even remotely like having your heart broken… Losing a child is like losing everything.. everything about who you are and what life is. Nobody intentionally seeks a life of absolute pain… Nobody plans to have a child just to kiss their treasure good bye- to kiss themselves and all purpose goodbye. Find My Family raises these victims from hell, sacrificing them to the brutal punches of purgatory and after what seems a lifetime of torture, the gates of heaven open with gleaming peace. Let me ask you, could you face ultimate judgement… step off the top of a building and prey that someone will catch you? Email a television station – you know that last week’s victims did and somebody caught them! Exploited by a television station or robbed by a private detective – either way you are expendable. Find My Family spikes you with that courageous ecstasy – the drugging is a perceived glorification – after effects are not listed.. re-birth is certain– are you an addict?
Thankyou Jack for making it possible for families to be reunited-I sit every Tuesday night and cry with sadness and happiness for those families you have been able to reunite-I just thank God for the gift and love of family, and what a blessing it is to see the love shared.Thankyou for this beautiful heartfelt program.
For all enquiries to FMF please visit http://au.tv.yahoo.com/b/find-my-family/
Dear Jack,
I love your show Jack and you lived not far from me. I think you are great in this and the movies I have seen you in. The reason I am writing is that I recieved a letter today about a daughter of mine, who wishes to get in touch with me. I really do think that it is because of your show.
I am waiting for her to email me first, then we will go from there. I am anxious to hear from her, but very scared as well. It has been almost nine years since I saw her and she was nine when she left me.
Please give me some info on what I should and should not do, I really want this reunion to work out for the best. I have been waiting for this opportunity to arise for so long, that I do not wish to stuff this chance up. I have other kids to think about to go along with this.
Any feedback you give me will be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks for listening,
L.J