Reflective Encounters

“Could someone really adopt a child as a PR stunt, or is there a genuine form of love buried underneath? This is one of the questions which comes to mind watching Rootless by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Gabriella A. Moses. Questions of heritage and new directions are thought-provokingly rendered here through a story of an 8-year-old refugee from El Salvador called Alma who is adopted by pop star Yahaira, and lavished with couture, breakfast cakes, and spa treatments.

Alma’s newfound privilege stands in stark contrast to the flashback voices of her past which echo through the film, presumably the voice of her birth mother. Her experience also conflicts with another little girl following her mother, a cleaner, around Alma’s new lavish LA home on the day she is preparing for her first red-carpet appearance with Yahaira. Cracks are already starting to show as Alma fails to adopt an adult function for her new mother, posting without permission on social media and running to her room to cry. It’s a huge transition for a child to make, and one which is not necessarily shown to be wholly positive for her.”

— Lillian Crawford