''My Flesh and Blood'' is a 2003 documentary film by

Jonathan Karsh Jonathan Shawn Karsh (born October 16, 1971) is an American film director, producer, and former television host. Career Karsh was the winner of the Audience Award and Best Director Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival for his directorial ...

chronicling a year in the life of the Tom family. The Tom family is notable as the mother, Susan Tom, adopted eleven children, most of whom had serious disabilities or diseases. It was nominated for and won several awards, including the Audience Award and the Director's Award at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Plot

The documentary takes an in-depth look at the Tom family, which mostly consists of children who were rejected by their birth families due to mental or physical disabilities. The film is broken up into seasons, starting out with the family taking part in Halloween in the fall, and ending in the summer of the upcoming year. The family's unconventional home life becomes a foundation for the supports, challenges, and successes that they face daily.

People

* Susan Tom, adoptive mother of the children * Faith Tom, who survived severe burns as an infant in a crib fire. Faith believes that when she gets older, she will look like "regular people" and emotionally invests in the promises of her plastic surgeons. * Joe Tom, who has

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...

and is in the last stages of the disease. Susan and Joe's doctors know that his death is imminent, but, as is common with terminally ill kids, withholds the prognosis from Joe who seems to believe that he will live to be an adult. * Xenia Tom, who was born without legs. The condition is referred to as

congenital amputation Congenital amputation is birth without a limb or limbs, or without a part of a limb or limbs. It is known to be caused by blood clots forming in the fetus while ''in utero'' (vascular insult) and from amniotic band syndrome: fibrous bands of the ...

. * Margaret Tom, who has no severe disabilities and assists her mother. * Anthony Tom, who has recessive dystrophic

epidermolysis bullosa Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare medical conditions that result in easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Blisters occur with minor trauma or friction and are painful. Its severity can range from mild to fatal. Inherited E ...

. Unlike Joe, he is aware that he has a terminal illness. There are six other children of whom viewers do not see as much due to the constraints of keeping the film to a reasonable length.

Reception

Awards

Received

Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival * 2003: Audience Award * 2003: FIPRESCI Prize

Florida Film Festival The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Overview The Festival includes narrative and documentary features and shorts, animation, midnight movies, and educational forum ...

* 2003: Special Jury Award - For documentary feature

International Documentary Association International Documentary Association (IDA), founded in 1982, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes nonfiction filmmakers, and is dedicated to increasing public awareness for the documentary genre. Their major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmm ...

* 2003: IDA Award - Honorable Mention - Feature Documentaries

* 2003: Audience Award - Documentary * 2003: Directing Award - Documentary

Nominations

* 2003: IDA Award - Feature Documentaries

* 2003: Grand Jury Prize - Documentary

Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...

* 2004: Golden Trailer - Best Documentary

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

* 2004: Golden Satellite Award - Best Motion Picture, Documentary

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:My Flesh And Blood (Film) 2003 films American documentary films Documentary films about children with disability Documentary films about adoption Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area Films shot in California Films about cystic fibrosis 2000s English-language films 2000s American films