By Cameron Koller
Special to the Daily News

Family can be a very touchy subject for some, particularly one as unorthodox as Miss Kimberly Reed’s.

Having changing her sex and name many years ago, the former Mr. McKerrow returns to her family with a camera in hand to document a merging of past and present. “I wanted to tell my story,” says Reed, “but I didn’t think it was going to be as big a part as it was.” What begins as fascinating soon turns PRODIGAL SONS into a work of heartbreaking honesty and endless examination.

PRODIGAL SONS
12:45 p.m., Monday, November 3rd ArcLight Hollywood 9

As Kimberly makes return trips that grow steadily longer and events unfold, we learn how little the McKerrows, like many of us, truly understand their past and motivations.

Over the course of the first act, we are introduced to a complex family. The film opens with a brief summary of the McKerrow family history: Marc was the first son, but only because he was adopted before the birth of his two brothers. The eldest of these brothers, Paul, would become Kimberly Reed, a magazine editor in New York City. She’s somewhat nervous about her return as a woman, unsure of how her old friends will react. Thankfully for her, news of the change has preceded her and her associates seem to accept it.

Unfortunately, this hardly closes the book on her life. Although Marc is an incredibly kind man, sweet and understanding most of the time, he has issues with his adopted identity, and he’s curious about his ability to write beautiful piano instrumentals literally upon a whim. Early in life, he suffered a head injury that necessitated the removal of a piece of his brain, leaving him prey to violent mood swings. Much of his frustration also seems to stem from Kimberly’s attempt to bury her past. Many of these mood swings play out on camera, and his battle is the central thread that plays against Kimberly’s own search for identity. “I didn’t think I had that much to learn from him,” says Reed. In fact, she learns some poignant lessons.

Past and present is, indeed, the primary subject of this work. Their father has died a few years ago, leaving a shadow of sadness over the get-togethers. Kimberly speaks of her days in high school trying to be as masculine as possible to make up for her lack of self-confidence. Marc seems haunted by his having been held back in pre-school for mere hyperactivity and then attending alongside his younger brother. These are only a few among the concerns, and even more arise by film’s end.

For a first-time director, Kimberly structures her film well. It’s book-ended by documents from different periods in time, and she knows how to gradually develop the intricate family relations over time. She provides no room for doubt about this being anything other than her personal, biased view of the events that transpire.

In my experience, I do not believe I have ever seen a work of art produced by a genuine transsexual, so this is a unique and rare example of POV. Confronting her life beforehand and laying it bare in PRODIGAL SONS allows Kimberly and the audience to truly explore identity and gender. Truly, this film asks about how gender affects self-identity.

Though Kimberly juggles many themes over 90 minutes or so, we soon realize that this film only provides a piece of the puzzle. This family’s story goes on, though the cameras have been turned off. Kimberly leaves a recommendation to anyone eager to further understand what human life is about. They may reach few if any conclusions, but they’ll be left with a lot to ponder.

Here is the director’s final word:

“On paper, it didn’t look as if I had a lot to learn. There are a lot of relationships were we feel like we understand it and we have looked down on a certain position, but end up learning. My hope is that it can inspire. If we can go through what we went through, it says a lot about what others can do in their relationships.”