Married couple, Kristine and Michael Barnett, decided to adopt eight year old Natalia Grace–a child with a rare form of dwarfism. When they began to raise her alongside their biological children, a sequence of unsettling and peculiar behavior occurs. For example Natalia allegedly attempted to poison Kristine, push her into an electric fence and physically grab the wheel while Kristine was driving. The parents begin to question Natalia’s age and background, claiming Natalia was posing as a child to get her medical aid paid for. This storyline is featured in the 2025 Hulu limited series, Good American Family, starring Imogen Faith Reid as Natalia. The series is a fictionalized adaptation of the true story of Natalia and the Barnett family. In the series, the story is told through multiple perspectives, leaving the viewer conflicted with who to side with.
The first few episodes were structured to persuade the viewer to sympathize with the Barnett’s. Kristine, played by Ellen Pompeo, is portrayed as a mother in Natalia’s best interest. Her job as running a daycare for typical and special-needs children humanizes her and portrays her as generous and compassionate. It is the audience’s interest to side with Kristine, as Natalia is portrayed as a character sabotaging Kristine’s life, intimidating her through violence, while staying on the sweet side of Michael. Overtime, Michael realizes Natalia’s intentions to hurt Kristine and terrorize the family. At this point, the viewers are watching the series through the perspective of the Barnett’s, making it easier for the audience to sympathize with them.
Eventually, Michael also becomes convinced that Natalia is posing as a child. The two begin to isolate her from the family to protect themselves and their biological children. A police officer agrees that Natalia’s identification documents are invalid, proving she may be lying about her age. The couple successfully sought a court order to change Natalia’s age to twenty-two years old. The Barnett family then abandoned her, placing her in her own apartment, visiting occasionally to drop off food and check on her.
At this point in the series, the perspective shifts to focus on Natalia’s mindset, and the audience can begin to sympathize with her. It is clear that Natalia does not have the ability or life skills to take care of herself. Scenes show her apartment in a soiled state, cluttered and disarranged. The Barnett provided canned food items, perishables and ingredients meant to be cooked. These food items soon went rotten, and Natalia, lacking cooking skills, lived in hunger and desperation for food that she was unable to prepare. When the Barnett’s did visit, they greeted Natalia with disdain, disgusted by her living conditions and lacking sympathy for her inability to take care of herself. The viewer can now sympathize with Natalia as she desperately tries to support herself.
During these episodes, and throughout Natalia’s struggle, flashback scenes begin to reveal the abuse and neglect she experienced under Kristine’s care. A flashback scene is shown of Natalia attempting to climb the staircase in distress, and Kristine physically slaps her. Also, while Natalia was living with the Barnett’s, Kristine discovered socks covered in blood hidden in her room. She suspected that Natalia was attempting to hide her period, which was one of the factors leading Kristine to believe Natalia was an adult. In a later episode, Natalia is seen struggling to walk–her feet covered in blood and bruises, as she was unable to take care of her disability’s physical effects. It is revealed that blood on the socks were a result of this, not her period.
In later episodes, Natalia was taken under the wing of Cynthia Mans, who’s family later adopted her. It was revealed in a doctor’s visit that Natalia was not in fact an adult, but a child, changing the entire perspective of the storyline. At this point, viewers sympathize with Natalia, and become familiar with the abuse she experienced under Kristine’s care.
Ultimately, Good American Family revealed the power of narrative presentation. The producers and screenwriters did an excellent job constructing a storyline that persuaded the audience to initially sympathize with the Barnett’s, and later with Natalia. As the story unfolded, it was discovered that the Barnett’s were not as innocent as they portrayed themselves. The show masterfully switched perspectives.
News articles surrounding the true story of Natalia’s case claim that she faced abuse, and was actually a child. While initially watching the show, I felt conflicted with whether to sympathize with the Barnett’s or believe that Natalia was a child facing abuse. It wasn’t until the show completely switched perspectives when I viewed the Barnett’s with disdain, unsympathetic to their narrative and with concern for Natalia.
According to the true story, in 2019, the Barnett couple was charged with neglect after abandoning Natalia, despite her being incapable of taking care of herself. Further, they left her in Lafayette, Indiana while they moved to Canada in 2011. Since then, the two have also divorced.
Hulu also released a documentary series called “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.” The true crime series focuses on the true story of Natalia Grace, and includes interviews from Natalia and Michael. The featured interviews with Michael seemed rather unhinged. He did reveal that Natalia was diagnosed as a sociopath by a psychologist, and confirmed a few of the crazed attacks Natalia directed at Kristine. Although, he also mentioned several instances of abuse. This includes when Kristine would force Natalia to sit against a wall for hours on end, resulting in her having an accident. Further, he physically imitated an instance when Kristine beat Natalia with brutal force. Michael’s son Jacob even mentioned that Kristine had once kicked Natalia down a staircase.
Watching the documentary after the docuseries helped me view the story in a different light. It is clear that this is a twisted tale of abuse and mental illness. The structure of the docuseries represents how television can effectively construct a narrative to control the audience’s mindset.
About Alya Satchu
Alya is the Entertainment Editor of The Crescent Magazine. She is currently a junior double-majoring in English and Communications with a minor in Sociology. For her first semester of junior year, she is studying journalism and media in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, Alya enjoys spending time with friends, walking in Audubon park and playing tennis!
Alya is the Entertainment Editor of The Crescent Magazine. She is currently a junior double-majoring in English and Communications with a minor in Sociology. For her first semester of junior year, she is studying journalism and media in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, Alya enjoys spending time with friends, walking in Audubon park and playing tennis!
