Tchau Brasil

'It's like staring at a pregnancy test for two years to see whether the end turns pink.' That is how adoptive mother Helma Laurens Besselink explains the lengthy process of adopting their Brazilian daughter. Annelotte Verhaagen followed the adoptionproces of a Dutch couple for more than two years: from the first information evenings and the family investigation to the journey to Brazil, where they first meet their four-year-old adoptive daughter. The documentary shows that adoption at first sight seems such a simple solution for an affluent and childless couple and an underprivileged child from the third world. The practice is considerably less simple. For both adoptive parents and the child, it is an emotional process with beautiful moments and difficult choices, long waiting lists and occasionally bizarre demands. Tchau Brasil is the directing debut of film-maker Annelotte Verhaagen.