Working with her sister Anna—a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a developmental disability—director Liz Sargent’s sensitive drama Take Me Home is both witty and heartbreaking. It serves as an indictment of a system that would force a father to abandon his adopted daughter just to secure the care they both need, all while ending on an optimistic note. For much of the film, Sargent’s picture exists in a mode of social realism before an abrupt ending that isn’t just a tonal shift, but feels intentionally like a different movie that also happens to star Anna.
Living in the suburbs of central Florida, far from the theme parks, the family—which includes Anna’s primary caretaker mom, Joan (Marceline Hugot), and dad, Bob (Victor Slezak)—seems to keep one another in check. Bob is a bit short-tempered with Anna, especially in an early scene where they are rushing after Anna loses her water bottle. The family dynamic is authentic and often moving to watch, particularly as we imagine the ways in which things could go wrong in the film’s first act, with each character requiring their own form of care. Daughter Emily (Ali Ahn) is living in Brooklyn and is at work when she ignores Anna’s FaceTime call intended to let her know that Joan is unwell and “burning up.”
After Joan’s passing, Emily returns home and tries to care for Anna and Bob while also attempting to stay in good standing at her job. Exploring care options for both, she finds it nearly impossible to navigate Florida’s healthcare systems and the myriad insurance requirements. The film is at its most sympathetic when it simply observes the family dynamic, proceeding with a candid honesty about living with and caring for those who require love, patience, and attention. In one heartbreaking scene, Emily asks Bob why they adopted Anna; his answer is simply that they had extra love to give. Emily selflessly takes as much time as she can to pick up the slack, but it is still not quite enough.
The film also excels in passages where Anna rebels against Bob. In one instance, she runs away from home—only a few doors down—to befriend James (Shane Harper), who lets her hang out and listens to her when she needs a friend most. Take Me Home is a film that is thankfully about good people in impossible situations, and perhaps its ending, although unearned, provides some deserved catharsis.
Take Me Home is striking in its authenticity and originality, which is perhaps why the abrupt tonal shift feels out of place alongside other moments in the film’s third act. Adapted from Sargent’s 2023 short film, the feature is often riveting because Anna Sargent is such a commanding presence on screen; I hope to see her again in other pictures about characters tackling everyday challenges. The film is at its best in moments of warmth, humor, and kindness—that is where it really shines, without needing to amp up the stakes or shift forms.
Take Me Home premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.