A Mosquito In The Ear

Filmmaker's note

With A MOSQUITO IN THE EAR, my goal was to create a film from the "inside"—one that sheds light on the often untold stories of adoptive parents and their journey toward forming a family with their children. When I learned about the true story that inspired this film and collaborated with adoption agencies to fully understand the process, I had a profound realization. What once seemed like the simple act of welcoming a child into a family led to more complex, personal questions—such as, how much do you need to understand someone to form a meaningful relationship with them? And what must you leave behind to go through this process? The challenges these families face in staying together resonated deeply with me. I left Sicily and came to the U.S. alone as a teenager, with limited knowledge of the language. I asked myself these same questions, and at times, still do, especially in my relationship with a partner from a different culture.

Adoptive parents are often sidelined in cinema and literature, portrayed either as second-class caregivers or as perfect individuals capable of handling anything. But Andrew and Daniela, along with the many adoptive parents we interviewed before making this film, revealed a more human side. Their experiences showed them to be like any loving individuals on the path to parenthood, but with an added layer of challenges. In many ways, they reminded me of my own parents. In the film, Andrew and Daniela struggle to find a balance that seems elusive after Sarvari’s arrival. Andrew can’t figure out how to connect with Sarvari and feels neglected by Daniela, who prioritizes the child. Meanwhile, his efforts always seem to fall short in Daniela’s eyes. As they work to break through to Sarvari, they fail to see how much she, in turn, is transforming them.

Lastly, there’s Sarvari—the adopted child—and India, a marvelous country often misunderstood by Western eyes, that warmly welcomed us during the making of this film. India is home to extraordinary filmmakers who helped ensure our portrayal was as authentic as possible. We wanted to capture the deep bond that often exists between the adopted child and the people and places they come from—things they must leave behind for an uncertain future with foreign parents who don’t yet have a connection with them and don’t yet fully understand them. The real Sarvari, now an adult, and the adopted children we collaborated with for this film have been pivotal in helping us capture these feelings.

A MOSQUITO IN THE EAR offers a window into the world of international adoption, portrayed as authentically as we could, with the joys, challenges, and shortcomings of a process that can always be improved. Our hope is for the audience to reflect on what they see and, most importantly, to feel for the families who must will themselves into existence.