Released 2003
Directed by Jonathan Karsh

This documentary tracks a year in the life of Susan Tom, a courageous California woman who has adopted 11 "special needs" children, including a girl born without legs, a girl badly disfigured from burns, a boy afflicted with a deadly skin ailment and a troubled boy with cystic fibrosis. The film captures many happy times such as school dances and summer vacations, but also depicts heartbreaking events such as hospital visits and a death.

Summary by www.netflix.com

This isn't really a documentary, as much as a fly-on-the-wall depiction of this extraordinary household. It's what reality television could be without the game show elements... Some children are given crosses to bear in their lives that are too big for anyone, and the children in this family were given a little help with theirs when they were adopted by Susan. Nothing makes me sadder than seeing children with debilitating disabilities, and we see a lot of it here. None of these children would probably have made it into their teens just a few hundred years ago, but now we have the technology and wealth to help the weakest of our species survive. It takes more than that, though. It takes some TLC, and that's what Susan is able to offer. Her full time job is raising and caring for these kids. Her entire income comes from the state, and you'd have to be pretty cold-hearted to begrudge her that. If you do, please volunteer to help change Anthony's bandages four times a week. Personally, I'm happy we have social programs that help provide for children like this, and this is probably one of the best examples of it in action. I'm sure there are other homes that aren't as loving and nurturing, but it's nice to know these kids were able to find one.

The movie doesn't try to present Susan as a saint, but she does comes across as one. She has the patience of Job and a lot of love to share, but, like the rest of us, she's not perfect. She drove her husband and two birth sons away by adopting all of these kids, and she's made a mistake by leaning on Margaret for too much support. Still, she has brought sunshine into several children's lives who were given up for adoption, because their parents couldn't deal with their afflictions. I can't imagine what kind of effect that abandonment has on the kids. Some of them are still able to maintain a relationship with their birth parents, but how can that make the kids feel?

The film focuses on Joe, who was truly frightening. He could be a very sweet boy and then instantly turn into a raging maniac. His attempt to have his mentally retarded step-sister fondle him in the middle of the night was terrifying. What could you do? If you kick him out of the house, where would he go? He was a time-bomb that could either be defused, if you could figure out how, or explode if you didn't try or tried the wrong approach. It's a moot point now, and you almost have to think his death was for the best. One of the surprising things, though, is that the other kids didn't feel that kind of anger about their obstacles. No one ever asked "why me?" in this movie. I'm sure the kids have many moments like that throughout their childhoods, but this movie is uplifting because the family's attitude is so positive. The kids were given the rawest of deals, and they do the best with what they have. If you watch the deleted scenes, you see the family on a cross-country vacation, and you see their effect on others around them. While everyone is relieved their own children were born healthy, they feel inspired by what they see. This family would help remind you no matter how bad your problems may seem, they're probably not that bad. --Bill Alward, June 25, 2005