Andrew Cantella’s ‘I am a secret’ takes us on a raw, emotional journey into the world of adoption, a world often veiled in secrecy and unspoken truths. With a personal connection to the subject – his own mother and sister were adopted – Cantella approaches the topic with an empathetic lens, focusing on the stories of others who have lived through these challenges.
In this short documentary, we meet Jennifer Eckert and Maya Rogers-Bursen, two adoptees who lay bare their struggles with identity and family history. Eckert, adopted into a white family but originally from an Indian background, grapples with her sense of belonging, feeling like a perpetual outsider. Rogers-Bursen’s interview complements this narrative, offering another layer of understanding to the often hidden pain and confusion adoptees face.
Cantella’s film asks: Why is adoption wrapped in so much secrecy? What are the missing pieces of their stories? As Jennifer and Maya discuss their adoption journeys, the film reveals their relentless pursuit for the truth about their birth families, a search driven by the need to make sense of their place in the world.
‘I am a secret’ is a low-budget short that captures the heart of its subject matter with simplicity, sincerity and grit. The film’s raw, unfiltered approach doesn’t just present information – it will resonate on a deeply emotional level with many, leaving some viewers with a powerful sense of the isolation and yearning that come with being a “lived secret”. It’s a touching, eye-opening piece that feels both intimate and profoundly moving. Highly recommended.
