Blood Relative
2012
Documentary / Drama / Family
Blood Relative
2012
Documentary / Drama / Family
8.7
Plot summary
Blood Relative is a cinema verite documentary that follows the remarkable story of Indian activist Vinay Shetty who is fighting to save two children who are dying from the rare disease Thalassemia. As a result of not being able to afford the life-saving medication, fourteen year old Divya and twenty-four year old Imran have severely stunted growth and remain trapped in the bodies of children. Chronicling Vinay's battle against the Indian government to get Divya and Imran free medical treatment, the film gets unprecedented access into modern India's broken healthcare system. Caught in the middle are Vinay and the children he must look after who are bound together by ties stronger than blood.—Anonymous
March 22, 2023 at 05:00 AM
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A moving story of everyday heroism, with a warm and quirky cast of characters
This film is inspiring and entertaining. In the face of suffering -- humanity and youthful vitality -- and most of all a love of life, is what this film leaves you with.
Like director Nimisha Mukerji's award-winning documentary 65_RedRoses (2009), this film is true to it's characters, and is never reduced to overly sentimental story lines. Divya (14) and Imran (24) whose very lives depend on getting drugs to treat their conditions, do not come across as victims, but as vibrant young people, determined to find their way, with a little help from the films hero "Uncle Venay".
Venay Shetty is likable and eccentric, in his mission to bring adequate health care to all youth in Mumbai, who like Divya and Imram are afflicted with thalassemia, a treatable blood disease -- if you can afford the medicine. To do this work he has to battle stereotypes, myths and misinformation. While this true story is set in India, centred around a specific disease, Shetty's battle for health-justice reflects a universal struggle.