Saturday, September 11, 2004
At times, I find myself in front of the television with the intent for purposeful viewing and when that occurs, I hope for a program such as this to unravel before me. The award winning documentary, My Flesh and Blood, is heartbreaking, emotionally wearing and truly inspiring. I was stunned by the content and the the tenderness with which the Tom family story was told. Susan, aka Mom, has 13 children living at home. Eleven of them have disabilities. She's adopted all of them. Susan is calm (especially for the viewer) and convinced that these children are her flesh and blood. The dynamic of the house is electric: varied from typical sibling rivalry, to personal drama, to large volumes of self-deprecating humour, to stunning independence and above all, compassion. My favorite parts include Susan's mom's monolouge, Susan's comment to Joe "We're second row people", and Margaret's story and wonderfully necessary breakdown. Every time you go down a hallway in the house and look into a room you're surprised by what's in it. Fantastic. |
