Parents' Guide to

1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed

By Sabrina McFarland, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Multiracialism is explored and explained in meaningful docu.

Movie NR 2023 59 minutes
1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed movie poster: A collage of scenes from the film that make up a puzzle featuring images of the cast that includes kids, teens, and adults who are multiracial, BIPOC, and White and have a range of different skin tones

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Still from 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed: Facing the camera during an interview are Kanani, center, who identifies as a mixed race kid (Latina, White, and Native American) with her parents, mom Pica (left) and dad Anibal (right), and all seated on a cream-colored sofa, wearing casual attire that includes dark and light-colored T-shirts, tops, and pants
  • Still from 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed: Facing the camera during an interview are Myles, left, who identifies as Black and Filipino, seated beside his older brother Giorgio, who are both wearing casual attire that includes a black graphic T-shirt and dark-colored pants
  • Still from 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed: Facing the camera while playing on a jungle gym are filmmaker's W. Kamau Bell's daughters Sami, left, and Juno, right, who identify as mixed race kids who are Black and White, wearing casual attire that includes light-colored tops, pants, and sneakers

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age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

Lauren D.
Lauren D. Parent of 9-year-old
May 20, 2023
age 7+

See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

1000% ME: GROWING UP MIXED is a documentary that focuses on the experiences of multiracial kids and adults and their families who reside in California's San Francisco Bay Area. Through firsthand interviews and archival footage and photos, these individuals share their personal stories that range from celebrations of cultural traditions to forms of exclusion within society by other individuals.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Filmmaker W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America) provides a critical, at times comic, but oh-so-worthy perspective on the ever-timely topic of race. In 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed, viewers get a mixture of shared stories from multicultural kids, teens, and their families. "The shades of skin tones were always mentioned," remembers native Filipino Paolo Aunscion, who grew up in the Philippines and is now married to a White woman. "People were told to cover up because the sun's out" he says. "You'll get dark. Nobody will marry you."

Giorgio, who identifies as Filipino and African American and is now in his 30s, notes that when it came to the subject of racial identity as a kid, "we never had those conversations, but I feel like now in today's world, where we really start opening up that box of conversations and letting those walls down." Mila, a 10-year-old with African American and Chinese roots, offers the opinion for future generations that "it's better…to learn about race and learn kind of what race means, how race affects you, when you're younger rather than later."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the communication of the cast in 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed. How do they also demonstrate courage, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

  • In the documentary, Erica says that there's a lot of danger in not talking about racism. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

  • Why do you think that it's important for kids, teens, and families to learn about and discuss the topic of race?

  • How do you think the topic of multiracialism was presented by the filmmaker? What did you learn from watching this documentary?

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