The Dark Matter of Love

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Anastasia C I Was Adopted From Russia in 2004. This Film Told My Story I was adopted from Russia in 2004, one of four kids brought over by an American family. Coming across The Dark Matter of Love honestly felt like gold. There’s nothing else I’ve seen that captures the raw, real-time emotions of what both kids and parents go through in the adoption process—especially when the kids come out of the Russian orphanage system and suddenly land in the U.S. without language, cultural understanding, or even a real concept of “mom” and “dad.” Watching it, I saw so much of myself in Masha. I also recognized traits of my adopted brothers and sisters in other moments, and it gave me a new appreciation for what my parents must have been navigating. That perspective alone made the film priceless for me. I do wonder if being filmed the whole time added another layer of complexity to the kids’ adjustment—it’s hard not to think about the impact of cameras in those already intense moments. But honestly, I can’t critique too much. I’m grateful it exists, because I’m benefiting now from being able to connect with the experience in a way I’ve never been able to before. I really wish more documentaries like this were made. There are thousands (if not millions) of us Russian adoptees, and a huge community that would connect with and learn from these stories. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/17/25 Full Review Audience Member Interesting glimpse into adoption and family dynamics. Loved the interventions and observations from the psychological point of view. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I think it happens in all adoptions, but this movie focuses on overcoming the lack of emotion that foreign orphans show when adopted into an American family. Throughout the movie, you get to see struggles, and overcomings, that a family faces, and how the acceptance of love gives these orphans permission to give back their own love to their new families. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Number one. It always amazes me so much that a family will spend months if not years getting ready to adopt, yet the do not learn a single word of their future child's native language. SO MANY of the issues they had with the kids in the beginning could be improved a thousand times over if they would have been able to communicate. Also with their oldest daughter., That said I'm really glad this seems to have ended really well. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This is an intimate, uncomfortable, often perturbed portrait of a couple of parents with an older child who adopt three Russian orphans all at the same time, and bring them back home to Wisconsin. The family is strangely optimistic when they bring their children home for the first time. They wear big, congenial smiles, and hug all their supporters when arriving at the airport. Though their children all only speak Russian this family only communicates to them in loud English, constantly. Two psychologists walk the parents through the footage, trying to bond them all together, and giving insight into the convoluted lives of these people. In many scenes there are severe arguments between the new children and their adoptive parents, where the children call them names, scream, and act out. Tired, emotionally exhausted, and hoping for a better outcome, the parents give their children nothing but love and understanding, though they still struggle to understand. It's uncomfortable and quite sad, but it's also realistic to the plight of many new parents who utilize international adoption. Real and uncompromising, this may be one of the more important documentaries on this subject. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Disgusting. These people are idiotic. Who adopts 3 Russian-speaking children at the same time without learning some conversational Russian beforehand? Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Dark Matter of Love

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