Product Details

• Actors: Susan Tom, Anthony Tom, Faith Tom, Joe Tom, Margaret Tom
• Directors: Jonathan Karsh
• Producers: Jennifer Chaiken
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: New Video Group
• DVD Release Date: November 30, 2004
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0003JAO8Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,782 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "My Flesh and Blood" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering December 4, 2004

By Katarina Thorsen

Format:DVD

I am an avid documentary viewer and this is by far the MOST moving documentary I have ever seen. The filmmaker was given one year (no more, no less) to record the events of a most extraordinary family. Susan Tom is a single mother who takes care of her own biological and adopted children. Most of the children have a variety of special needs and Susan's strength, intelligence, humor, kindness, empathy, tenacity and flexibility allows her to give each child the attention and parenting they all need and deserve. The family is alarmingly honest and each person in the film moves through an epic struggle. We are so privileged to watch. The family loves, fights, support. Within the year's framework, the filmmaker catches heartbreaking and painful moments. There are also many joyous moments. The film stays with the viewer- dare I say- forever. I am a parent of a autistic son, and I have often felt alone in my struggle to make life the best it can be for him. The world can easily judge, can easily misunderstand. Without my advocacy I know my son would not be as secure and happy as he is today. In Susan Tom, I have found a personal hero- a woman who is beautiful and intelligent and a master at her job. Thank you to the whole Tom family (and to the filmmakers) for giving the world a glimpse. I wish you all the best. You touched us so deeply- Joe, Anthony etc.
PS. My daughter and I cried deeply- make sure to have kleenex handy when viewing. Film's official website:
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/flesh_and_blood/

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When is Love Giving and When Is It Taking? July 31, 2005

By M. JEFFREY MCMAHON TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This compelling, heart-breaking documentary shows a lonely single mother who adopts more and more children with special needs and lives in a constant state of being overwhelmed. The film asks the question: At what point does giving become a need that reaches a point of no return. For example, the mother's biological daughter cries in anguish when she realizes her life is about helping her mother care for the adopted children while her own needs are left ignored. The film offers no easy answers. Nor does the film paint the mother in a simple light. She is a complex woman full of complex motivations for adopting more than a dozen children. The filmaker is sympathetic and offers no judgments. He simply allows us to struggle with making our own conclusions. The children are presented in a noncondescending light. They are loveable survivors. One twelve-year-old boy however is severely angry, largely in part because his biological mother abandoned him when his health problems became too difficult, and he shows that he is a danger to the other children. He talks freely about wanting to kill them. His anger combined with his need to be loved puts the mother and the rest of the family in their biggest dilemma and is a major focus of this excellent documentary about a family that out of their daily crises grow a profound love for each other.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Too much to say; too good to miss! November 17, 2005

By Rosemary Thornton VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

There are so many good things I could say about this movie. It's almost hard to know where to begin.

At first, you get the impression that Sue Tom (The Mom and "a woman of a certain weight"), is so desperate for companionship that she creates her own brood by adopting special needs children. But not 15 minutes into the documentary you realize, this woman was *born* to be a Mom and is a gifted, patient, hyper-intelligent and compassionate soul.

Then you realize how blessed these children are to have found someone willing and able to not only be their mom, but to love them unconditionally and raise them to be happy, mentally-healthy and perspicacious adults.

And then there's the issue of the children. The first time I saw "Faith" (the little girl who was so badly burned) appear on screen, I had to close my eyes. Her physical appearance was very severe. But before the movie was half over, I found myself falling in love with this precious and precocious little girl. She's got a sweet nature and a wisdom that belies her age. Close your eyes and listen to her voice and you'll hear an angelic voice laced with a tenderness and thoughtfulness that is soul-stirring.

And the ending is stunning. I'm still thinking about the ending.

This documentary has changed the way I view the world and view others and think about myself. If I were queen of the world I'd sit everyone down one Sunday night and make them all (all six billion of us small-minded earthlings) watch this movie.