The Kids Grow Up chronicles Lucy’s emotionally-fraught last year at home before leaving for college. Moving seamlessly between past, present, and the fast-approaching future, Block has not only crafted a loving portrait of a girl transitioning into womanhood, but also a deeply poignant look at parenting and what it means to let go. This time of transition comes with its fair share of struggles. To his credit, Block does not shy away from these moments, nor from the humorous yet occasionally tough analysis his wife offers. The result is a personal story told with such honesty and intimacy that a singular experience unfolds into a universal tale of parenthood, marriage, and family— making this a film that fathers, mothers, sons and daughters can equally appreciate.

The filmmaker, on the threshold of his fiftieth birthday, found out that he had to choose how to remember his family. After the death of his mother, he found her diary, which describes a whole life day by day. The diary completely changed his idea of his own childhood and his parents. This diary robbed him of his past.