Officials have allegedly shown up to people’s houses demanding enormous sums of money from families if they violate China’s one-child policy. After being taken, the babies are sold to foreign adoption agencies in the United States and Europe.
In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for murder. There was no question that a 43-year-old man is dead and that she killed him. What mystified filmmaker Daniel Birman was just how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He wondered in this case what led a girl — who grew-up in a reasonable home environment — to this tragic end?
The sad and startling story of Cyntoia Brown, who is serving a life sentence for a murder she committed at age of 16.
In a pretrial interview, Dr. William Bernet listens as Cyntonia recounts a painful past.
Cyntoia’s adoptive mother struggles to understand why she missed the warning signs.
In prison, Cyntoia tries to recuperate her own self-esteem after years of abuse.
Via prison telephone, Cyntoia recounts her past choices and hopes for a better future.
