Product Details

• Actors: Kimberly Reed, Marc McKerrow, Carol McKerrow, Todd McKerrow, Oja Kodar
• Directors: Kimberly Reed
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: July 21, 2010
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00329PYHA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,703 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family living through Mental Illness crisis, June 2, 2010

By 

lean_bot (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prodigal Sons (DVD)

It is a journey to me that went beyond gender identification. It was a story that had to deal with mental illness caused by an accident. It appears that the mom and Marc's wife had to deal with his mental illness crisis for 10 years. Doctors have been trying to find a combination of medications to help him.

One of the siblings return to attend a reunion only to learn that a new journey was about to begin. What I took away from this film is that even though you may leave your past to start your future, your future can't become complete until you have dealt with the past.

This documentary did leave me teary eyed in several scenes. It was a family who loved each other no matter what. They didn't give up on healing or finding a solution.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. - Leo Tolstoy, January 26, 2011

By 

stoic (Mobile AL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Prodigal Sons (DVD)

I'm not sure if the McKerrow family is unhappy, but they are unique.

The McKerrows were the all-American, 1980s family - a physician father, teacher mother, and three sons living in the all-American city of Helena, Montana. Todd McKerrow was the star of the family - the blonde high school quarterback who seemed destined to follow the conventional path to success when he finished high school in 1985.

The family's story is much more complicated than that, however. At the beginning of the film, viewers see Todd returning for a high school reunion; only Todd has undergone gender reassignment and has become Kimberly Reed. Also attending the reunion is Kimberly's older brother, Marc.

The reunion is the film's focus at first, then, surprisingly, the focus shifts to Marc. Marc was adopted by the McKerrows and he longs to know more about his biological family. Once Marc starts searching for his family, the story has an incredible plot twist. Also, Marc suffers from mental illness and the film includes many graphic scenes illustrating both Marc's problems and his family's attempts to help him.

In simplest terms, Prodigal Sons is about a family struggling to be happy. The McKerrows are all decent people and it is easy for the viewer to cheer for them. Though the film is complex and offers no easy answers, it is always compelling due to its amazing storyline.

At the start, I had modest expectations for Prodigal Sons. There have been so many documentaries that explore gender and sexuality that I thought that the film might seem tired and unoriginal. Happily, I was wrong. Prodigal Sons is amazing - don't miss it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and heartbreaking . True insight into a human family, March 11, 2011

By 

Hammer + Jazz "rock of jib altar" (so falls wichita falls) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prodigal Sons (DVD)

I streamed this documentary this evening because of it's provacative subject matter and 4 out of 5 average viewer feedback . I was really knocked out . I thought i had a disfuntional family ? This , to my mind , is really brave and emotional and raw film . I was never less than fascinated by all the folks involved . I wish them all well . This is an interesting picture . I couldn't care less if it has an agenda . It's real !