A new documentary titled She Looks Like Me takes a closer look at the mesmerizing life and struggles of Jennifer Bricker, a gymnast/aerialist, who was born limbless. Directed by Torquil Jones, this project premiered at SXSW 2024.
Jennifer Bricker’s biological parents abandoned her on the very day she was born. Thankfully, she was adopted by the Romanian immigrant couple, Sharon and Gerald Bricker. Growing up in a small Illinois community, Jennifer developed a deep interest in gymnastics. In 1996, when the Olympic Games were taking place in Atlanta, she used to watch the American women’s gymnastics team. However, her favorite team member was the then-14-year-old, Dominique Moceanu.
Interestingly, at the age of 16, Jennifer learned that Dominique Moceanu was her biological sister. Eventually, the two siblings got in touch and met for the first time in spring 2008. Dominique was completely unaware of Jennifer’s existence and also the fact that she didn’t have legs. They also have another sister named Christina.
According to SXSW’s official website, the synopsis of She Looks Like Me reads, “Born without legs, Jen Bricker is abandoned at the hospital by her biological parents. Raised in Illinois, Jen begins to idolize America’s superstar gymnast – the mesmerizing Dominique Moceanu. As Jen watches on from afar, Dominique wins gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before becoming a pioneering voice in the sport, calling out institutional abuse that would culminate in the Larry Nassar scandal”
It further reads, “Inspired by her hero Dominique, Jen competes at the junior Olympics and goes on to become a world-famous aerialist and motivational speaker, her online videos viewed over 180 million times. But little does Jen know that all along, she and Dominique share a shocking secret.”
The producers of She Looks Like Me are Ian Davies, Lindsey Dryden, and Torquil Jones.
Who are Jennifer Bricker’s biological parents?
According to BBC, Jennifer Bricker’s biological parents are Camelia and Dumitru Moceanu. The couple reportedly abandoned her at birth because they feared that it wouldn’t have been possible to afford her medical bills. Furthermore, Camelia neither had the option to weigh in on this decision nor did she have the opportunity to hold her baby.
When Jennifer learned that Dominique was her elder sister, she wanted to break the news to her. However, she wanted to do it in the right way. Jennifer stated, “I couldn’t just call her and say ‘Hey, I’m your sister’ – I didn’t want her to think I was crazy.” Four years later, she wrote a letter to Dominique in which she mentioned how the latter inspired her and how thrilled she was to learn that they were siblings. She wrote, “I almost could not believe it myself, you had been my idol my whole life, and you turned out to be my sister!”
By the time Dominique learned the truth, she had stopped competing professionally. Furthermore, she was 26, married to a fellow athlete, and pregnant with her first child. After reading Jennifer’s letter, she asked her mother, “Did you give up a baby girl for adoption in 1987?.”
Upon hearing this, Camelia teared up and confirmed that Jennifer and Dominique were indeed siblings. Dominique stated she felt bad for her mother. She said, “My heart broke for her because she had to keep this a secret for all these years and she could never have had the opportunity to deal with it.”
In January 2010, at the age of 22, Jennifer met her biological mother for the first time.
