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My Flesh and Blood

Susan Tom (Actor), Anthony Tom (Actor), Jonathan Karsh (Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: DVD
3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
IMDb8.3/10.0
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November 30, 2004 		—
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Format Dolby, Color, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats
Contributor Joe Tom, Anthony Tom, Faith Tom, Xenia Tom, Susan Tom, Margaret Tom, Jonathan Karsh
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 23 minutes
Color Color
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Product Description

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.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.75 inches; 4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1939118
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Karsh
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, Color, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 23 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2004
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Susan Tom, Anthony Tom, Faith Tom, Joe Tom, Margaret Tom
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Docurama
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0003JAO8Q
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
48 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this documentary to be one of the best films, with one review highlighting its remarkable story of an extraordinary family. They appreciate how it provides viewers the opportunity to experience life. The emotional content receives mixed reactions from customers.

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Movie qualityPacingExperienceEmotional content
6 customers mention "Movie quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find this movie to be a great documentary, with one customer describing it as compelling.

"This compelling, heart-breaking documentary shows a lonely single mother who adopts more and more children with special needs and lives in a..." Read more

"It's a good movie but it is sad. I'd watch it more than once. It was good enough I bought one for a birthday gift. My mother watched it 5 times...." Read more

"One of the best documentaries I have ever seen...." Read more

"Suprisingly good & original documentary about a foster mother who takes in children with special needs...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the movie, with one customer describing it as a remarkable story of an extraordinary family, while another notes how each child can be appreciated as an individual.

"...The children are presented in a noncondescending light. They are loveable survivors...." Read more

"...you will want to see more than once, as it is a remarkable story of an extraordinary family...." Read more

"...for a year of their lives in such a way that each child can be appreciated as an individual, without disabilities or other special needs..." Read more

"Suprisingly good & original documentary about a foster mother who takes in children with special needs...." Read more

3 customers mention "Experience"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the movie's experience positive, with one mentioning it provides viewers the opportunity to experience life, while another describes it as inspiring.

"...It provides viewers the opportunity to experience life with the Tom family--and gain a new perspective of living life to the fullest...." Read more

"had to see it for a class in college and it was inspiring and sad at the same time. must see" Read more

"Really great movie and it was from a real life experience so I enjoyed it even more...." Read more

9 customers mention "Emotional content"6 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the emotional content of the documentary, with some finding it moving while others describe it as heartbreaking.

"...This is a film about a no-nonsense, uncommonly compassionate woman who dedicates her life to the upbringing of brave happy children who have had to..." Read more

"It's a good movie but it is sad. I'd watch it more than once. It was good enough I bought one for a birthday gift. My mother watched it 5 times...." Read more

"This compelling, heart-breaking documentary shows a lonely single mother who adopts more and more children with special needs and lives in a..." Read more

"...Not a dry eye in the place. The emotions evoked from this film are remarkable...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kay Spencer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A film that will make you ask: what can I do to help humankind?
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I write this more than a decade after seeing My Flesh and Blood at Sundance and meeting Susan Tom after the screening. This movie took my breath away. It is beautifully shot and edited. The seasons reflect the passage of time in the Tom household, 11 adopted children - almost all disabled, some severely. This is a year in the life of a chaotic family that is sometimes overwhelming, and overwhelmed, but is always, for every single one of them, family. It is hard to watch at times, because we witness some of these children suffer before our eyes: Anthony by merely taking a bath. Tom and her family take emotional hits that are unsettling for the audience. But, while Tom does shut the door (and rightly so) at times, neither the filmmaker nor the Tom family try to make things pretty for the camera and it is impossible to look away.

    This is a film about a no-nonsense, uncommonly compassionate woman who dedicates her life to the upbringing of brave happy children who have had to struggle for new normals, and most of whom by now have grown into adulthood. The heartbreak of those who did not make it is one of the films most shocking moments.

    Honestly, in this age of self-obsession, stories like this remind you that there are still real heroes in the world.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • M. JEFFREY MCMAHON
    5.0 out of 5 stars When is Love Giving and When Is It Taking?
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2005
    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.
    22 people found this helpful
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  • camsmom2009
    1.0 out of 5 stars Skip it
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Too depressing
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  • Felicia Martin
    4.0 out of 5 stars dvd movie
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    It's a good movie but it is sad. I'd watch it more than once. It was good enough I bought one for a birthday gift. My mother watched it 5 times. So I had to buy myself one.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Batty TN
    3.0 out of 5 stars The Filming And Editing Is Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2020
    The work itself is excellent. The story, on the other hand, is very disturbing. What makes the real story so disturbing is the fact Susan was approved to adopt so many children with disabilities. When Joe died, she seemed immune like it was no big deal. I can here her saying, its not a big deal just a normal part of this family.

    Poor Margaret, I hope she gets to escape Susan when she gets older. Susan wanted all of the children but didn't want the responsibilities that came along with them. I think she was very manipulative, especially toward Margaret. I wonder somewhere along the line if she didn't guilt Margaret into staying at home to take care of the children.

    I also questioned how she found time to think about a relationship outside the family. I can't really say the children were better off where they are versus the Welfare system.
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  • Cj D. Vries
    5.0 out of 5 stars UNFORGETTABLE
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This is a documentary you will want to see more than once, as it is a remarkable story of an extraordinary family. The decision Susan Tom has made to adopt so many children is astounding, and she deserves a lot of respect, even tough she is not portrayed (or wants to be portrayed) as an angel or saint. We (as viewers) see that there is normality within that "abnormality", as the household have to deal with the same everyday stuff all families deal with (on top of the specific (medical) problems relating to the various members of the Tom family). I must admit my heart broke a couple of times during the movie and I will never forget this family. The dvd also has some fine extras and is very highly recommended.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Christina Townsley
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Yet
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    I have seen a variety of documentaries and could not recommend anything better. I was drawn to this film as I am training to work with children with special needs. However, I witnessed an entire room captivated by this film. Not a dry eye in the place. The emotions evoked from this film are remarkable. It provides viewers the opportunity to experience life with the Tom family--and gain a new perspective of living life to the fullest. I promise this film will leave every viewer with something special.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Nancy E. Deren
    5.0 out of 5 stars My Flesh and Blood- Anthony Tom
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    One of the best documentaries I have ever seen. A family composed of a mother and thirteen children, eleven of them adopted, is followed for a year of their lives in such a way that each child can be appreciated as an individual, without disabilities or other special needs overshadowing the person. The extra features are excellent, too, especially the discussion between the filmmaker and the mother.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Katarina Thorsen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering
    Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    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:
    [...]
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  • Tekarra Brin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story...
    Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    this documentary speaks volumes about the family of adopted and handicapped children that Susan Tom took under her wings and embraced them all with the utmost of caring and love...
    Single handedly, she turned these children into individuals who saw passed their limitations, loved life, and enjoyed their day to day in spite of things..
    Susan Tom is a saving grace of human beings..
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