I'm Glad My Mother is Alive

A Fascinating, True Tale of the Possible Manifestations of Adoption
I'M GLAD MY MOTHER IS ALIVE (Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante) is a deeply disturbing film based on a true story that explores the spectrum of adoption and the effects on the children placed for adoption, the biologic mother and the adoptive parents. It goes places other films on the subject have dared not go, and since this is based on a true incident it is another example of fact being stranger than fiction. The film was made in 2009 by the father/son duo Claude and Nathan Miller, based on the story as written by Emmanuel Carrère and adapted for the screen by Alain Le Henry and both the Millers.

We meet Thomas Jouvet (a splendid performance by Vincent Rottiers) at age 20, riding the train, his face reflecting that of a troubled young man. Through a series of at times confusing flashbacks we learn that Thomas was given up for adoption as a toddler, or as he sees it 'abandoned by his mother', and as a misguided lad he becomes obsessed with tracking...

Shocking brooding behavior of adoptee!
The title "I'm Glad My Mother is Alive" indicates two things, either the mother was found still living, or the mother did not die through some avenue or other.

Bitterness through life
This French film is about a man who was abandoned as a child along with his brother. He was placed for adoption at the age of five by a teenage mother. We get a glimpse into his childhood where Thomas experiences a rough childhood. As normal with most children who discover they were abandoned by real parents, they grow up angry, extreme bitterness toward the parent as they go through life.

Contacting a biological mother
Thomas Jouvet , as young man, now has tracked his mother down. He discovers she has a child and he welcomes himself into her home. He soon displays an uneasy reaction toward the mother. We are led to believe he as a odd bizarre attraction to her. He reacts with jealousy. He sees the little boy as someone who had a mother, where he, Thomas, did...



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