Kramer vs. Kramer

A.
Summary
The movie is about the Kramer family or what was left of them after the wife and mother of the
household Joanna Kramer, suddenly left with reasons that were not clear at the time. The father,
Ted Kramer was suddenly forced to take care of their child taking on the role of both the mother
and the father which was difficult at the start since he had to cope with the sudden disappearance
of his wife while juggling the tasks of being a parent and a provider for the family but his bond
with his child grew and they became much closer. Ted Kramer was put in difficult situations
which affected his career and would eventually lead to him being “Let Go” at work for being
unable to attend to his obligations at work. After 18 months of solely taking care of his son, the
wife suddenly returned and explained that she went away to find herself and during those times
she realized that she was more than capable of being more than just the mother of their child and
wanted full custody of him. This lead them to meet in court to settle which one of them gets
custody of the child. They both presented their arguments and Joanna Kramer eventually won the
case but later realized that their child grew so close to the father that he would not be pleased that
he would be separated from him and she decided to not take the child.
B. Why is the movie entitled Kramer vs. Kramer?
It is entitled Kramer vs. Kramer because it was about Ted Kramer going against his former wife
Joanna Kramer in court for the custody of their child.
C. What family law related concepts were illustrated in the film? Describe the scenes which
are family law related
D. Granting that the family law related situations/scenes in the movie happened in the
Philippines, are there deviations from our law? Describe said situation/scene and explain
how it deviated from our law.
E. Describe the impact of dissolution of marriage as portrayed in the film
The dissolution of marriage impacts each member of the family and the community around
them in more ways than one. The impact it had on the father was massive and it was
probably the worst for him since he had to deal with his wife leaving and suddenly being the
primary caregiver to their child while juggling all of this with his job and it showed as he
underperformed in his duties because of some events, all of these problems worsened due to
the financial burden of the case for the custody of Billy because it was not cheap at all and
given the current employment status to the father, it took a heavy toll on him. Their son, Billy
also was affected because he didn’t quite grasp the concept of marriage dissolution at such a
young age and yet he had to deal with adjusting to the concept that his father being the one to
take care of him day in and day out and only getting vague answers when he looks for his
mother, but the impact was at it’s greatest for him when his mother won the case and he
would have to live with her after growing so close to his father and being able to completely
cope after 18 months of being with him only. The impact was clearly shown on the mother as
well as she was already having an existential crisis of some sort and she was out looking for
meaning and she needed professional help such as was shown in the movie wherein she
sought consult to a psychiatrist (shrink) to aid her in managing herself in times of doubt. She
was also impacted by the case and the case also took a heavy toll on her as she was even
labeled as a “Failure in the longest relationship she ever had” which cuts deeper for someone
who was already struggling with themselves. The impact of marriage dissolution also goes
beyond the household and reaches even the community that they are a part in such as the
friends of the Kramer Family who had help accommodate with the changes and aid the
family during these turbulent times.
F. Which scene/s of the film was/were your favorite? Describe the scene and explain why
you like it best
The court scene was one of the best as both parties presented their arguments and both parties
gave very interesting points on why they should have custody over the child. Ted Kramer’s
statement however carried the most weight, the one where he critics the usual notion that a
father is uncapable of providing the same love and affection towards their children at a same
level of a mother and why mothers have a “corner on that market” which says a lot about
care and compassion towards his child. They were also civil towards each other even though
they were pitted against each other in court as they tried to comfort one another during the
proceedings.
The next would be when Ted Kramer was explaining to Billy that he was going to live with
his mom and how everything would be. He was trying to shield him from the fact that they
were about to be separated just when they grew so close. The short scene near the end
showing how they made French toast shows how well they work together.
G. Other reflections and reactions
The movie depicts a gut-wrenchingly realistic story on what how marriage dissolution affects
individual members of the household and the people around them. Because a failed marriage
goes beyond the confines of the four walls that make their home. It shows how people have
to adjust towards a new environment and how it affects not only the parents but the children
also as they too would feel the impact of such a massive change in the family.

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