A very personal film in every respect. In emotional terms, Camille Billops neither spares herself or the viewer. In 1962 Billops took the painful decision to put up her four-year-old daughter Christa for adoption. In desperation, she handed her child over to ‘The Children’s Home Society of Los Angeles’, knowing she would probably never see Christa again. In 1980 the 22-year-old Christa managed to trace her mother in New York. After twenty years separation, mother and daughter tried to get closer together emotionally again.This unusual film uses conventional documentary as well as docu-drama techniques. As a result, Billops was able to tell the story from beginning to end, from the unwanted pregnancy and the situation in which she found herself at the time in the conservative climate of the late fifties. The film does not just provide a picture of Camille Billops’ life as artist in New York and Egypt, but also depicts her dreams in which her daughter continued to play a role.Kay Armatage (Toronto Film Festival): ‘The openness of the personal revelation is inspiring, and despite the painful memories for all members of the family, that openness has produced a high-energy and high-spirited testimonial to the strength and joy that can come from taking such an enormous personal risk.’
