My Kid could Paint that Questions

 

1. Was there a specific scene that got to you? Describe and explain how it moved you (Angry? Curious? Delighted?Motivated?). Give a lot of detail, and really dive into how it affected you. Don’t hold back.

There was an interview with just Marla’s (the 4-year-old painter) mom discussing boundaries and Marla’s future. This scene got to me for a few reasons. The mother was able to discuss the hardships of having a famous child and the big unknown for making decisions. The parent made a very clear decision to keep her out of the media.  Right after the mother said this Marla was shown reacting “badly” to the cameras while painting. Instead of painting as she normally would Marla took paint and kept pouring it on each other ultimately making a mud color every time. Her father spoke on how she only paints in this way when there is a camera in the room.

This scene was crazy and made me insanely curious. Art is very much a way of expression even in children. Marla was mentioned to only relax and be more extroverted while painting. However, when cameras are involved she does not get that release so she can not be artistic even with being so young and naive.

2. What surprised you? Why do you think it caught you off guard?

The attitude of Marla’s parents caught me very off guard. Parents of prodigies whether its educational or artistic often seem to have the view that their child is the most superior being of all. In “My kid could Paint that” the parents view their child as average. They do not expect her to be some higher being but instead want her to remain to do child things to stay happy.

3.What questions remain after the viewing? What feelings stayed with you after the film? Did they “pop up” in your life in unexpected ways? When? How? What was that like?

Did Marla’s Parents enjoy how the documentary turned out? The film showed the various aspects and debates on Marla’s paintings' authenticity. However, I am not sure if the film itself leans towards clearing the father's name or not. The film left me almost unsure. The child probably won’t remember half the events that took place, but her parent will never forget. I am unsure on whether the Documentary turned out how they wanted and trusted it would.

 

4. Why might we avoid including research in our summaries? What could go wrong?

Including research in summaries might take away from the point and feeling the documentary brings across. The point of summaries is, to sum up the focus of the story and how the documentary itself makes you feel/think.