By Jan Hamilton
Director: Ursula Macfarlane, Producer: Gagan Rehill
1960s Chicago, a baby is kidnapped from a hospital. Fifteen months later, a toddler is abandoned. Could he be the same baby? In a tale of breathtaking twists and turns, two mysteries begin to unravel and dark family secrets are revealed. (World Premiere)
When Paul Fronczak was ten years old, he was snooping in his family’s attic and came across old newspaper articles chronicling his kidnapping at birth from the hospital and his recovery fifteen months later. He was found abandoned in Newark, New Jersey and returned to his Oak Lawn, Illinois home. His family had never mentioned the story to him before that time, and was not willing to discuss it then. He had a normal upbringing in a loving home with his brother David. He later left home as a young man to play in a band and also occasionally acted.
He marries in 2007, and later, he and his parents all take a DNA test. He finds that he is not related to his parents. His parents are upset and this leads to a years long estrangement. He does TV interviews and searches for his birth parents.
Through DNA, he finds that he has a twin sister, older and younger siblings, and that his parents were married. He finds someone who babysat for him as an infant who says he and his twin sister were always dirty and scared. She never knew what happened to them; they just disappeared. Apparently they were abandoned in a near-by town. No one from his birth family was willing to contact him in the present day. So now he knows who he is, but wonders where the Fronczak baby is.
I very much enjoyed the documentary, as it kept my interest and moved at a good pace. Paul is a good narrator and a charismatic character. The re-enactment scenes are well done. The overall impact of the documentary is very satisfying. I would highly recommend this film.