THE FAMILY I HAD
Documentary Feature | 77 minutes

HIFF 2017

 World Cinema Documentary

Directed by
Katie Green, Carlye Rubin

Produced by
Katie Green, Carlye Rubin, Tina Grapenthin,,Executive Produced by Julie Goldman

2017 | English | USA

In Katie Green and Carlye Rubin’s THE FAMILY I HAD, Charity Lee recalls the harrowing moment her teenage son shattered her family with one unthinkable act of violence. Ten years into the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, the grieving mother is forced to come to terms with her new reality. With great empathy and unrivaled access to their subjects, Green and Rubin forgo true-crime sensationalism for a nuanced exploration of the family’s complicated history with mental illness, addiction, and domestic abuse. Highlighting our capacity to adapt to even the most unmooring of circumstances, THE FAMILY I HAD is a moving testament to human resilience.