HBO (Sun., May 9, 6:30 p.m. ET)
This extraordinary documentary airs on Mother's Day, but look elsewhere if you want greeting-card sentiment. The film is an intimate, unflinching look at the family headed by Susan Tom, a single mother of 11 adopted children who have special needs. A 19-year-old with a degenerative skin disorder, a bipolar 15-year-old with cystic fibrosis, a 13-year-old without legs, an 8-year-old severely disfigured by a fire—the challenges are almost too many and varied to contemplate, and Tom seldom has time to enjoy the emotional rewards. In the end it's painfully clear that she can't do it all for these kids, but you'll be awed by her willingness to try.
