In 2016, in St. Petersburg, Florida, Maya Kowalski was rushed to the pediatric emergency room in extreme pain. A 10-year-old girl was hospitalized for three months under a state shelter order, and her doctors were barred from visiting her parents for suspected medical child abuse.
Story of the Kowalski Family It was reported on The Cut last year, is the core of Take Care of Maya (Netflix), which chronicles the event and its aftermath. At the hospital, Maya was examined by a pediatrician from a child welfare agency who specializes in detecting child abuse and who initially diagnosed Munchausen syndrome on his behalf. Based on court testimony, recollections of Maya’s father, and video, audio, and written records from Maya’s mother, the documentary unfolds primarily from the perspective of the Kowalski family.
Watching this movie means submitting to a punishing experience. This is only partly due to its content. Because while Maya’s case is a troubling jumble of rare pain syndromes, controversial treatments, questionable child welfare systems, and more, director Henry Roosevelt has this story with sensationalism in mind. Because it deals with the subject matter. . Every minute is tense, and the scenes feel crafted with more scandal than enlightenment.
This approach sacrifices rigor, the willingness to thoroughly analyze the circumstances that gave rise to the Kowalski family’s troubles. For example, the film mentions relationships between Florida hospitals and the privatized child welfare companies that serve them, but refuses to explore them. “Take Care of Maya” is harsh but also strangely inadequate, lacking the precision and perspective essential to extracting insight from deep trauma.
take care of maya
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. Watch it on Netflix.
