Prodigal Sons

San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand

Harrowing and unforgettable film.

NPR Mark Jenkins

The movie is a curiosity, of course. Both Marc and Kim have decidedly unusual life stories.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Prodigal Sons comes packed with multiple hooks. Aside from the sex-change angle, the movie takes a turn when Marc---whom Reed’s parents adopted before she was born--learns that he’s the biological son of Rebecca Welles, and the grandchild of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

A tale of two siblings -- one basking in memories, the other fleeing them -- Prodigal Sons grapples with identity through the prism of sibling rivalry. In the end its conclusions have little to do with gender and everything to do with acceptance.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Sad, compelling documentary leaves a few key questions frustratingly unanswered, but the raw materials here are sufficiently bracing.

Los Angeles Times Sheri Linden

Reed insists on pursuing difficult questions, and this is a film not easily forgotten.

Portland Oregonian Stan Hall

Even if Prodigal Sons is ultimately more buildup than payoff, Reed is a nimble enough filmmaker to roll with unexpected developments and make poignant connections between her family's unremarkable past and its extraordinary, wrenching present.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

There’s still enough to chew on to recommend the movie, not least the oddly touching sight of two siblings whose very identities have been altered by surgery.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Kimberly Reed’s debut documentary, Prodigal Sons, would make a terribly contrived novel, but is a compelling and sensational real-life story.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Despite its undeniably fascinating elements, Prodigal Sons attempts to deal with so many issues at once that it inevitably lacks focus. But there's no denying that it offers a hook that other similarly themed docs could only envy.

Boxoffice Magazine Ed Schied

The unexpected directions in their family dynamics and unflinching scenes of the volatile Marc keep Prodigal Sons absorbing.

Village Voice Melissa Anderson

As with most fam-cam documentaries, dysfunction pushes the story along, tipping over into exploitation.

Time Out New York Kevin B. Lee

Instead of pushing deeper into any psychological dilemmas, this dirty-laundry doc gets lost in a sensationalistic flurry driven by a serious emotional unraveling.