My Flesh and Blood (2003)

Good movie but grossly overrated

As Good As It Gets

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Susan Tom is a hero. I don't know of any one who would willingly adopt 11 kids, a majority whom are special needs. The children to the outside world were looked at as different, but this documentary caught their true selves. There's Margaret. A dream daughter. Her life is school and helping her mother and doing it willingly. There's Anthony, who recently passed, a sweet 19 year old boy with EB, who went through a life of pain but seemed full of spirit. There's Joe, who also passed, who had cystic fibrosis who pushed his family away because he loved them too much to get attached if he left. There's Xenia, born without legs but born with happiness and comfort. There's Hannah, who also has no legs but is born to have fun. And there's the adorable Faith who has burn scars all over her face that doesn't mask her intelligence. I forgot the names of the other ones, but are children that anyone would want.Susan goes through up and downs in her life. From Joe's mood swings and illness, to Anthony's pain and illness, to Faith being teased, to Xenia getting a boyfriend, to Margaret's home and school depression, to Joe's biological mom moving away, then ultimately to Joe passing away from his illness, after her daughter Susie, who also had EB, died years before.Then at the end, the family gets together and celebrates Anthony's 20th birthday party.The family goes from bad times but doesn't let that get in the way of the good to come.From the words of Faith. "Everybody's gotta have faith!" Rest in Peace, Anthony, Susie, and Joe Tom.

Effective documentary about a marginalized woman (Susan Tom) who is raising some of the most unfortunate but extraordinary children you will ever encounter. Some are severely burnt (Faith). One has cystic fibrosis (Joe), and a bunch of complex personal problems. Several are limbless. The list goes on. The children are a handful, but Susan's unlimited reserve of strength and compassion is what has given these children meaningful lives.Susan isn't always depicted beneath her saintly halo. In one scene, she, like any human being, loses her patience with her birth daughter and comes across as harsh. In others, she fights exhaustion. The film is about Susan, but it is also about her charges and their own personal struggles to simply survive. Some of the episodes we're shown are pretty heartbreaking and one boy's struggle to live (Anthony) is so horrible you can only marvel at his tenacity.The film has a no-nonsense tone and never becomes too tabloid or too much of a freak show (which would have been highly inappropriate under the circumstances). Director Jonathan Karsh sprinkles a little visual poetry on the pictures and employs an occasional voice-over.Strong stuff. And fascinating.

I am so glad I agreed to see this; it is so much more than what it appears! This is an amazing film that kept me spellbound from beginning to the very end and is the kind of film that stays with you afterwards. The audience stood up and clapped after it ended, which is pretty remarkable. This is what filmmaking is all about and this is why we go to movies. This should be get an Academy Award nomination. It doesn't get better than this.

this documentary is so moving and both painful and heartwarming to watch. it shows you both the harshness of being human and what noble spirits humans are capable of having as well. the children in this documentary will move you deeply even if you have a heart of stone. i wish this was out already because i can't wait to see it again. it will remind you of what good there is in people before we get to where we shut each other out completely. if only we were capable of helping each other more.