'Good American Family': a heartwrenching tale of adoption gone awry – when family ties turn toxic

Some years back, I happened upon "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace", a documentary about a Ukrainian girl who was adopted by an American family, only to be abandoned two years later.

There was nothing ordinary about this story, as there was uncertainty around Natalia’s real age. Suffering from spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism, she looked much younger than certain physiological changes that were observed by her adopted mom. 

However, Natalia’s behaviour presented as a little girl prone to tantrums. 

Disney+ has revisited this true-life story in an eight-part dramatised series, "Good American Family". 

The narrative is drawn from allegations, court proceedings, as well as what has been publicly reported on the story. 

Of course, some creative liberties have been taken to ensure it's an engaging story. 

The writers employed a Rashomon-style narrative, intentionally creating a polarised viewer perception of Natalia.

The first episode opens with Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo), Natalia's (Imogen Faith Reid) adoptive mother and a celebrated author on raising children with autism. 

What started out as Kristine wanting to be a good mother and helping as many children, including those she adopted, somehow goes pearshaped. 

At first, you see this picture-perfect all-American family. 

Kristine is doing her best to run her home with her three boys: Jacob, Wesley and Ethan. Jacob is Kristine’s proudest success story as he is about to start university and is making waves for his genius-level IQ. 

She comes across as most busy mothers do; doing drop-offs, planning meals and taking care of her family. Her husband, Michael (Mark Duplass), is supportive and quickly bonds with Natalia when she joins their family. 

At first, Kristine fobs off Natalia’s strange behaviour; she doesn’t like to be treated like a child, doesn’t like being told what to do, and doesn’t want to be bathed by her mother. 

However, her gut instinct tells her there’s more to the unruly behaviour and outbursts. Her suspicions are slowly confirmed when she finds a knife in Natalia’s room, notices she has been menstruating and hiding it and finds her coffee spiked with a cleaning product. 

It isn’t long before the nurturing mother changes her attitude towards Natalia, especially when she causes her to have an accident and tries to kill one of her brothers by throwing his toys into oncoming traffic.

Aside from being at her wits' end, she spots something amiss with Natalia’s paperwork and starts to suspect that they have been misled on Natalia’s real age. 

Hellbent on proving her theory and getting Natalia, who Kristine feels exudes sociopathic tendencies, out of their home, they legally changed her birthdate from 2003 to 1989, moved her into her own apartment and distanced her from the family. 

That’s one version of the story. The other centres on Natalia, her struggles with feeding and taking care of herself. She wrestles with anxiety over being abandoned, being physically abused by her stepmom. Her actions suggest underlying trauma and fear.

After being abandoned by her adoptive parents, Natalia meets Cynthia Mans and her husband Antwon, who invite her to stay with them and their seven adopted children. 

There are hints of Cynthia’s concern being financially motivated, but Natalia is oblivious to it, as she only sees her kindness. 

In watching the series, I’ve gone from taking a strong dislike to Natalia to empathising with her. Again, this is attributed to because the story is being told from different perspectives, and so the roles of victim and abuser constantly shift. 

Pompeo and Faith Reid cover a wide gamut of emotions with the varying stages of their respective characters. They are the anchors of the series, and they are marvellous to watch in a Jekyll and Hyde sense.  

Rating: **** a standout series with exceptional qualities.

Update on the real  Natalia Grace…

Like the Menendez Brothers, this story has seen streamers develop renewed interest in the real-life Natalia Grace. 

Born in Ukraine, she was adopted by Dyan and Gary Ciccone of New Hampshire in 2008. However, she was placed back for adoption in 2010 for her “disruptive behaviour”. 

That year, she was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett and took on their surname. 

Two years later, the Barnetts petitioned the court to have her birth date legally changed from 2003 to 1989, which immediately made her an adult. 

They moved her to an apartment in Westfield, Indiana, and later Lafayette, Indiana, before relocating to Canada. 

Not long after, she found a home and family with Antwon and Cynthia Mans, which then led to charges of neglect being brought against the Barnetts.

However, living with her new family wasn’t without challenges, and after years of being abused, she eventually managed to escape and find a home with Nicole and Vince DePaul, who have helped her find an attorney and recoup the money she lost. 

She’s reportedly thriving and leading a good life with her new family, and she has a boyfriend.