Documentary on meeting birth mother made into a movie

LIFEMARK ADOPTION MOVIE
➤ WHAT: “Lifemark,” a two-hour movie portraying the adoption story of local attorney David Scotton and how he met his birth mother as a teen. Christian actor Kirk Cameron and Alex and Stephen Kendrick are executive producers; Kevin Peeples co-writes and directs.
➤ WHEN: Sept. 9-15 at AMC WestBank Palace, 1151 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey; AMC Elmwood, 1200 Elmwood Park Blvd., Harahan; and Movie Tavern Covington, 201 North Hwy. 190 Covington.
➤  BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE: https://tickets.lifemarkmovie.com; Group tickets are available at https://lifemarkmovie.com/tickets/


By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Life is precious, and no one knows that better than David Scotton. His birth mother Melissa Coles gave him up for adoption at birth to a Louisiana couple unable to have children.

“I am here because (Melissa) made a tough decision not to have an abortion,” Scotton said. “She was brave.”

Scotton’s story is now the movie, “Lifemark,” to be released in theaters Sept. 9. The film’s executive producers are brothers Stephen and Alex Kendrick and actor Kirk Cameron, who portrays Scotton’s adoptive father. Actor Raphael Ruggero portrays Scotton.

Its director Kevin Peeples said Alex Kendrick gave him the documentary on which the movie is based, “I Lived on Parker Avenue,” to watch.

Peeples had previously directed “The 5 Day Adoption” documentary about a family adopting a baby in five days. Scotton’s story expanded that.

“Lifemark offered the opportunity to break down more misconceptions and share that thread to a wider audience. I loved all aspects of David’s story, but I also was excited to use David’s story to help adoptees overcome any fears they may have in accepting their adoption or eventually meeting their birth parents.”

As the movie was being filmed in Columbus, Georgia, Scotton said he was consulted often to ensure it stayed true to his life story.

“They’ve been great the whole way,” he said, although the part about him being a great wrestler was dramatized, and more humor was added.

“They were really respectful of getting it true and wanted us to be really happy with it. And, all of us are very happy with it,” Scotton said.


Documentary touched hearts
Scotton first shared his adoption story as a student at Jesuit High School in 2011. Shortly after he made that public talk, his birth mother reached out to him.

They initially corresponded on social media before Scotton agreed to meet her in 2013. The week he spent in Columbus, Indiana, with her, her family and his biological father Brian Nicholas was captured on film and made into “I Lived on Parker Avenue,” released in 2018. (Coles later came to visit Scotton in New Orleans to see what his life had become.)

Since that documentary’s release, Scotton and his family have toured the U.S. discussing his journey of meeting his birth mother and promoting the beauty of adoption. It was at one of these speaking engagements where an acquaintance of Cameron heard the story and sent him the documentary.

Cameron and, later, the Kendricks watched it, and the idea to expand the documentary into a movie was born.

During a phone conversation, Scotton said Cameron told him, “My wife (Chelsea) told me I had to watch it.”

“He started crying, watching the movie,” Scotton recalled Cameron saying. “He said, ‘It’s got to be a full-length movie.’ I will never forget that moment.”

“We did a good job (with the documentary), but they can reach a broader audience than we could,” Scotton, 28, said.

Scotton and Coles have cameos in the movie – David portrays the adoptive family’s attorney, and Coles is the nurse handing the newborn over to the Scottons. His adoptive mother Susan plays a nurse.

Precious life given
Scotton remains in contact with his birth parents and has even crossed paths with Coles on his speaking engagements, since she now openly discusses adoption. In the spring, he spoke at Canada’s March for Life.

Now a lawyer, Scotton said he met his wife Piper Didier at Louisiana State University Law School. They were married at St. Patrick Church by Archbishop Gregory Aymond in October 2021. He handles  commercial litigation and has had the opportunity to do adoptions.
 
“I did my first one earlier this year,” he said. “That was so rewarding.”

Scotton encourages attendance at the movie’s release Sept. 9-15 in 1,386 theaters nationwide.

“Opening weekend is so important,” Scotton said. “We need to show Hollywood that they shouldn’t have turned down this movie. If it does well this weekend, the chances of it being extended are greater.”

The Kendrick brothers and Scotton acknowledged that the movie’s release couldn’t have been timed better – coinciding with the recent Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade.
 
“It’s divinely inspired for such a time as this that God wanted us to release this movie,” Stephen Kendrick said on a social media post. “The church has an amazing opportunity to stand up with inspiration and hope and healing for people  on both sides of the pro-life debate and specifically to talk about the beauty of adoption and what can happen when people trust God in a crisis.”

Scotton is excited to show the beauty of adoption in giving someone a life.

“We need to be talking about adoption from all three sides,” Scotton said. “The adoptee side, the birth parents’ side – not just the birth mother, but the birth father as well – and the adoptee’s parents (side). That’s why ‘Lifemark’ is so unique. It shows the reality of adoption from all three perspectives.”

The title, “Lifemark,” was selected to mark the day someone chooses life.

“We hope that young mothers in the audience will choose life and will be encouraged to mark that day they chose life,” Scotton said. “It’s a brave and courageous choice that shouldn’t be forgotten. We hope this film will save lives. We hope to bring awareness to the option of adoption with the simple message that adoption is beautiful.”

He said he thinks the movie will spur dialogue in families who adopt to help their adopted children overcome their fears. Scotton also “hopes more families will be encouraged to foster and adopt. And feels the church needs to wrap its arms around the young and the scared and show them they don’t have to abort their babies, and they don’t have to go through this alone.

“I’m here because my birth mother left an abortion clinic,” Scotton said. “I am here because my mother chose adoption.”

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