Visually, this film was a pleasure to watch, as it spans over twenty years, the décors and aging of the main protagonists very well done. A particular attention seems to have been paid to picture sharpness as well as lighting and colour. As regards the script, well, I found the idea captivating and enthralling but the plot contains a number of irregularities and events that would seem illogical. The obvious comparison that comes to mind would be with the well known film "deep end of the ocean " and whereas the latter was both perfectly plausible and emotional to watch, this film was somewhat less satisfying. As far as the illogicality go, I mean, even supposing she had to go to prison, you cannot just go to someone's house and take away their children and leave no note, no proof of identity, no official authorization or anything. The person in charge of the children during her absence seemed pretty nonchalant about the whole thing ....."well some officials came and I just handed the children over ..." Sounds a bit fishy to me. The judge who dies most conveniently, the tribunal archives that go up in flames, all that suggests over imagination on the part of the scriptwriter. Making the fourth child die too also was a bit exaggerated. The end leaves us unsatisfied - why does she meet two of the children in the airport and not the third ? Why would she have to wait four more years to see the third, given than she is its mother ? No explanation is furnished for all this, neither for the judge's action. We are lead to believe that something underhand and fishy had been going on withing the child welfare services but no clear explanation is given as to how, why and by whom. Also, Mary Helgenberger's second cousin, Cliff, seems to rapidly change from a handsome young man when she meets him suddenly into a jealous hirsute layabout and no reason for this is furnished. Also, her divorce from him is completely skimmed over and we find her attracted to Tom when she is selling her dolls. There are no visible indicators of the years that pass, except the age she attributes to her absent children at various stages during the film. I could go on endlessly about these plot holes but nevertheless remain fascinated by the subject matter and plastic beauty of the film. What a shame then, that the plot was not made a little more plausible for the spectator to enjoy.

This film, based on a true story, shows a mother's hardship in trying to find her children after they are taken from her in very suspicious circumstances. This film is quite heartbreaking. I am unsure as to how much of the story is actually fact but the film shows how strong the human spirit can be. It also shows the strength of the maternal bond. The judge featured in the film was a cruel and cold-hearted. It indicates the range of people that exist in the world. How she lived with herself after covering up the removal of 3 kids from a clearly loving mother is unknown to me. I really like this film and watch it quite often.

When Vanessa Meyer was falsely arrested her children were taken into care. When she was released she was told that they had been adopted and that their records were lost. I enjoyed this true-life drama.