A Parenting & kids forum. ParentingBanter.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » ParentingBanter.com forum » misc.kids » General
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Review: My Flesh and Blood (***)



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 17th 03, 05:45 AM
Steve Rhodes
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Review: My Flesh and Blood (***)

MY FLESH AND BLOOD
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ***


"Fat, lots of kids, interesting, sense of humor," is how Susan Tom describes
herself in an Internet dating ad that she'd like to write but doesn't. A
wonderful single mom with a seemingly infinite capacity to give, Susan is a
funny, good-spirited woman who certainly does have a few kids. She has
thirteen of them, almost all adopted, with nine still living at home. This
alone would make her something of a miracle mom, but what really makes Susan
stand out is that, of the nine, eight are what is euphemistically called,
"kids with special needs." The challenges her kids face run from lack of
legs and other body parts to various forms of soon-to-be terminal
conditions, and she averages having one or two of her kids in the hospital
at any given time.



Jonathan Karsh's documentary about the Tom family, MY FLESH AND BLOOD, is a
traditional one without any bells or whistles. Susan, who was at our
screening, gave the film crew exactly one year, and no more, in the life of
her brood. With a year's worth of indelible images, Karsh has joined them
into a compelling picture. But, to be honest, the movie is initially so
hard to watch that people seeing it on television are likely to turn it off
before they get to know and love the family. Seeing kids with horrendous
diseases and horrible burns can be quite a challenge for viewers used to
such images only in cheesy fictional films, with THE SINGING DETECTIVE
containing one of the better examples of such visuals.



What is so amazing about the family and the kids is their sense of humor and
their belief that they have no limits as to what they can accomplish. At
our screening Susan described how her two girls with no legs learned how to
ride a two-wheeled bicycle, something that Susan thought impossible, but
which she carefully did not tell them. Any guesses on the girls' success?
I'll give you a hint -- betting against the Tom kids is rarely a good idea.



The kids and the movie are both quite funny at times. The biggest challenge
in the household and subject of the most grief is a teenage boy named Joe,
who is terminally ill from Cystic Fibrosis as well as suffering from ADHD.
He verbally abuses the rest of the household, who, except for him, are
constantly the sweetest kids you'd ever want to meet.



The Tom family's amazing, eye-opener of a story gives you new appreciation
and respect for the abilities of the handicapped. The most telling question
and answer at our screening came when one audience member asked Susan how
she ensured that her kids were never embarrassed by their handicaps. "I
don't treat them like they have handicaps," Susan replied with her usual big
smile and charming confidence. "Xenia and Hannah (the two girls without
legs) are short -- get over it!"



MY FLESH AND BLOOD runs 1:23. It is not rated but might be PG-13 for
subject material and for brief language and would be acceptable for kids
around 10 and up.



The film opens in limited release in the United States on Friday, November
28, 2003. The movie was shown recently at the Camera Cinema Club
(http://www.cameracinemas.com) of Campbell and San Jose.



Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com

Email:



************************************************** *********************



Want free reviews and weekly movie and video recommendations via Email?

Just send me a letter with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.




 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:40 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 ParentingBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.