Film Review: "Take Care of Maya" (2023).

From the director of Tough Guys comes Take Care of Maya. This documentary film directed by Henry Roosevelt. When ten-year-old Maya Kowalski was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in 2016, nothing could have prepared her or her family for what they were about to go through. As the medical team tried to understand her rare illness, they began to question the basic truths that bound the Kowalskis together. Suddenly, Maya was in state custody – despite two parents who were desperate to bring their daughter home. The story of the Kowalski family – as told in their own words – will change the way you look at children’s healthcare forever.

Director Henry Roosevelt displays a dynamic presentation about a well-researched review investigation into the Kowalski family's battle against the draconian American healthcare system. Despite the lead family members acting as talking heads and driving the narrative forward, the film still offers an infuriating indictment of the American healthcare system by investigators and enough of the voices we need to hear from to make this urgent viewing. An angry piece of cinematic advocacy that doubles as a passionate ode to old-fashioned investigative journalism, the film takes a handful of harrowing real-life stories and slaps them with the streaming 'filter'. To call the film heart-breaking and infuriating is a massive understatement. This documentary will leave you angry beyond words, but you should watch it nonetheless. The film, which examines cases in which loving and caring parents are charged with supposed child abuse, is the rare entry whose revelations feel cogent, earned and memorable. The information is harrowing and disgusting, but it’s also inspiring to see how one family’s dogged battle shed light on a troubling pattern in the American healthcare system leading to actionable changes for the better. This documentary doesn’t offer much in terms of craft, but one could perhaps make the argument that the subject matter necessitates no-frills storytelling that soberly focuses on facts and video evidence. A revealing study on America's healthcare system: the hospitals and staff accusing parents of inflicting child abuse with evidence and sows disinformation, further stigmatising these parents; and investigative journalism that digs into minefields. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with sadness and empathy for the victims. Easy to feel proud that a family and a documentarian turned wrong into right. That takes courage. The film suffers from the Netflix brand of overproduction, looking just a little too flashy and sinking everything with voiceover and interview sound bites that have been scripted to death. A strong, powerful documentary that, despite feeling a tad neat and cold at times, benefits from Maya's presence. And most importantly: it is a film that will remain engraved in your memories for a long time. The film ends up being a vital and eye opening examination of widespread injustice that still leaves a lot on the table thanks to its strangely narrow focus. It’s all so very sober, so deeply sobering, that when actual emotion pops, that’s what jars. It shouldn’t be the case -- all of this should rattle us and move us into action.

Simon says Take Care of Maya receives: