Hello and welcome to my blog series called “Documentaries for Teens,” where I review Documentaries that may be perfect for you teens! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out this blog!
As a librarian, I help find articles, books, addresses, etc., for people throughout the workweek, and I always learn something new along with the patron. This documentary taught me so much about a subject that I have never had any experience with. It is called Feeling Wanted: A Story About Foster Care, directed by Yasmin Mistry, and it is a 14-minute documentary that glimpses into the life of a former foster kid, Charell.
We understand that she is an independent individual when she explains the beginning of her career of being in the foster system. She wakes to find that her parents are gone. She takes her little sister to the babysitter’s house and heads off to school. When she returns, she stays with the sitter until 10pm, with no adult in sight. (She is 6 years old when this takes place).
Shortly after this, Charell and her sister moved into their great-grandmother’s house.
Their mother was addicted to drugs, and their father was a drug dealer, and both were unable to take care of them. Charell enjoyed her time with her great-grandmother because she was sweet and loving, but when she got sick, the girls entered into the foster system and thus began their career of being foster kids.
Charell states through her history of going from home to home, the worst one she and her sister stayed in was the first one, directly after they had to leave their great-grandmother’s.
“A social worker came and collected me and my sister. That hurt. I don’t know why she (the social worker) wouldn’t have tried to prepare us for that. I don’t know why it had to be that way. Usually, they don’t prepare you because they believe that if you don’t know, it’s better, but it’s not, it’s not better” (3:45-4:25).
This was a very eye-opening documentary. It was only 14 minutes, but in that amount of time, I walked away with a new perspective on those who have gone through the foster care system. I appreciate Charell sharing her story with us, and for those who may have experienced being a foster kid, I hope that listening to her story gives you comfort in knowing that you are not alone.
The documentary also features a study guide that goes over the film and lists frequently asked questions for the director.
I highly recommend this documentary. If you are interested in watching, click the link right here.
Thank you for joining me for this session of Documentaries for Teens, and I will write you next time!
