Kimberly Reed’s powerful new documentary, Prodigal Sons has stunned critics and audiences alike with her very personal look at her life, both pre- and post- gender reassignment surgery and the effect that it has on her family and family in her hometown of Helena, Montana. And while the film originally features Reed as the protagonist, the focus of the film changes as we meet Reed’s estranged, (and adopted) brother Marc, a man who’s always had to live in the shadow of his brother Paul’s successes as a high school football star and later, with Paul’s revelation of his gender reassignment and subsequent life as Kimberly Reed. Marc’s inability to cope with these issues, that also include a debilitating brain injury at age 21 and a history of violence and behavioral issues relating to that injury, begin to form the heart of Reed’s story that ultimately leads to shocking revelations about Marc’s origins and his connection to Hollywood royalty. A New York Times Critics Pick and a film festival favorite around the world, Prodigal Sons returns to Seattle after playing at the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival, for a run at SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer, under McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. The film will open Friday, March 5th, and play the weekend (through March 7th), then take a two day break (no shows on Monday or Tuesday) and will resume for evening shows on March 10th and 11th. For more information, go to the SIFF website. Check it out.
-Michael Strangeways