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MY FLESH AND BLOOD documents one year in the life of divorced, 53-year-old Fairfield, California mother Susan Tom and her 11 adopted children–ten of which are physically or mentally disabled. After a 13-year marriage that produced two children of her own and her first adopted child, she continued to take in children with special needs, despite her lack of a regular income. The family includes Xenia, 13, and Hannah, 11, who were both born with no legs, eight-year-old Faith, whose face was badly burned in an accident when she was two, and Anthony, 19, who suffers from a rare disease which prevents the skin from properly adhering to the body. The majority of the stress in the house, however, originates with, Joe, 15, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, attention deficit disorder, and a problem controlling his abundant anger. Able-bodied college student Margaret, meanwhile, is crumbling under the pressure of helping her mother care for her siblings. Director Jonathan Karsh’s film is inspiring without resorting to sentimentality. While the camera focuses most frequently on Joe–whose foulmouthed threats contain the possibility of real violence–the film’s true heart lies with Anthony, whose wide eyes appear hopeful, even when something as simple as a bath brings him excruciating pain.

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.