Child of Their Time: The emotional cost of international adoptions

"A Dutch filmmaker, whose brother was adopted from Indonesia in the 1970s, shares his family's painful story. Filmmaker Huibert van Wijk explores the complexities of international adoption through the lens of his own family's experiences. His adopted brother, Tim, and their father, Lex, have been estranged for years due to tensions surrounding Tim's adoption. While Lex saw adoption as a good deed, Tim was left with deep psychological scars."

"As the Netherlands plans to phase out international adoption, both men share a sense of regret as they look back on their past. Child of Their Time is a documentary by Huibert van Wijk."

Huibert van Wijk documents his family's painful experience after his brother Tim was adopted from Indonesia in the 1970s. Tim's adoption left him with deep psychological scars and led to long-term estrangement from their father, Lex. Lex believed international adoption was a benevolent act, while Tim experienced identity wounds and relational rupture. Both men now express regret as they reflect on the personal consequences of that adoption. The Netherlands is planning to phase out international adoption, framing the story within shifting national policy. Child of Their Time presents these tensions through intimate family perspectives.

Read at www.aljazeera.com