My Flesh and Blood
by Jonathan Karsh
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DVD details
Actor: Anthony Tom, Faith Tom, Joe Tom, Margaret Tom, Susan TomDirector: Jonathan Karsh
Brand: New Video
Cinematographer: Amanda Micheli
Editor: Eli Olson
Producer: Jennifer Chaiken
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-30
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: New Video Group
Product features:
- Winner of the Audience and Director s Awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the deeply affecting My Flesh and Blood follows one tumultuous year in the life of Susan Tom and her adopted family of 11 special needs children. For a single mother who receives only limited help form the state, Susan gives her kids love, hope, and as close to a normal childhood as possible, but limits are tested when her
DVD Reviews of My Flesh and Blood
DVD Review: one hundred percent engaging
Summary: 5 Stars
My Flesh And Blood is an outstanding documentary that showcases one year in the lives of a woman and her adopted disabled children. Their life stories are told to varying degrees while the focus remains on the events that naturally occur over twelve months. We witness great suffering, hope, pain, joy, happiness, creativity, love and a deep drive on the part of everyone to keep on living, even if it's only one day at a time, in order to stay alive and enjoy the best quality of life possible while they're here on this Earth.
The household is essentially run by a woman who has a heart of gold, Susan Tom. Despite the fact that her marriage didn't work out she adopted one more child after another until she had about eleven adopted kids in her home with varying degrees of different types of disabilities. Unlike some other reviewers, my heart went out the most to Joe Tom, who suffers from both cystic fibrosis and emotional problems. Joe lashes out verbally at other kids in the home because he was never loved the right way to begin with; and his birth mother isn't much of a help even when she thinks she is being helpful. Joe threatens to hurt or even kill other kids in the household but he stops (at least) at verbal abuse; I have the feeling that if he had been treated with the proper therapist a lot of his emotional problems could have been greatly improved. In addition, I also felt a great deal of admiration for a young girl who has no legs; we see her happily enjoying life, swimming and even doing her own form of jumping rope using sneakers on her hands for balance! There's also the very touching and emotional portrait of a young man who has a rare genetic disorder that makes the skin less adhesive to the body; I couldn't believe how brave he was! Susan Tom lovingly gives him a bath four times each week--and that takes roughly three hours each time because his skin condition is so bad that she must go very slowly with the bath so as not to hurt him too badly. Wow!
We also see Susan as a human being--with flaws as well as her strengths. Naturally, she is an inspiration to us all in that she has the patience to deal with all these children and she cares for them really rather well overall. That is, overall. We see how eventually Susan's own daughter breaks down in tears because Susan is so busy taking care of the adopted children that she doesn't have time for her own daughter! I thought Susan could have handled this better; she essentially tells her daughter that they'll schedule a time to talk about it the following morning. Susan just doesn't have the time to go into it right now. Gee, if Susan doesn't have time for her own daughter, can she truly sleep well at night? I suppose the answer is that she can; Susan believes that she IS doing the best that she can do under the circumstances; and there's certainly truth to that.
The DVD comes with deleted scenes, follow-up interviews, and an interview with Susan's eldest sons in addition to other bonus features.
My Flesh And Blood tells the remarkable story of a woman who loves children and taking care of others so much that she goes well beyond the call of duty to help as many disabled children as best she can regardless of the problems they have. I highly recommend this documentary, while Susan Tom isn't perfect (she's human, after all), she cares the way we all should care; and that's what makes this film an important example of just how much love can do to improve the lives of those of us who are less fortunate.
Description of My Flesh and Blood
Winner of the Audience and Director?s Awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the deeply affecting MY FLESH AND BLOOD follows one remarkable family?s most tumultuous year as it confronts a litany of daily routines, celebrates life?s small pleasures, and copes with major crises. Who says you can?t choose your family? "I think when I found that I could survive raising four kids, that it wasn?t that far of a leap to add another one," says Susan Tom of Fairfield, California, who has done more than just that, adopting 11 special needs children. For a single mother who receives only limited help from the state, Susan gives her kids love, hope, and as close to a normal childhood has possible. Her limits are tested, however, when her angry teenage son threatens one of his siblings. And after another child?s condition becomes erratic, the entire family learns that living for the moment is the keystone to happiness. Tenderly directed by Jonathan Karsh, MY FLESH AND BLOOD presents a family portrait like no other--a bittersweet and unforgettable experience filled with unexpected humor, stirring pathos, and an optimistic view towards morality.Bestsellers in DVD
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