'Switched at Birth' is a two-part series based on the case of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg who were accidentally switched shortly after their births in 1978. Both the Mays and Twigg families carry on unaware of this until Arlena falls ill with cardiac problems and blood tests reveal she cannot be the biological child of her parents Ernest and Regina Twigg. When Arlena succumbs to her condition at the age of nine, the Twiggs' then embark on a search to find their real daughter leading them to Kimberly who is living with her widower father Bob. As the custody battle begins, Kimberly finds herself caught between two families and Bob faces the possibility of losing the child he loves and cherishes as his own.
The adult leads all portrayed their roles well, fleshing out their characters, with Ariana Richards (better known as Lex in 'Jurassic Park') giving a touching performance as the bewildered and vulnerable Kimberly. She had a nice father/daughter rapport with Brian Kerwin, only enhancing the idea of how the young Kimberly never knew anyone other than Bob as her father.
In many ways, this is a very tragic film about how the selfishness of the Twigg family eventually shattered two families and ripped a young girl's life apart. Motivated only by their own needs to know their biological daughter to replace the child they had just lost, they paid no heed to the fact Kimberly was just a little girl who wasn't ready to deal with the emotional ramifications of the truth around her birth. Instead, they barged into her life, forcing Bob Mays into endless court battles as they pursued full custody of Kimberly and creating a media frenzy around the story.
Unlike the fictional film 'The Face on the Milk Carton', where the biological family let go when they see the trauma they are putting their child through, 'Switched at Birth' shows the results of what happens when selfish parents put a confused young girl through a custody battle. It does leave the audience considering how things could have gone much smoother if the Twiggs had only sought visitation rights or stayed away until Kimberly was older and more able to deal with things. It also leaves one wondering if Bob would have been so wrong to have ran off with his daughter until she was eighteen. Having read how Kimberly is now leading a destitute, unstable life, barely able to keep a roof over her head and maintain a job, this film goes a long way to explaining the contributing factors to her life as an adult today.
