Joe always knew that he had been adopted, but the birth of his daughter prompts him to trace his real parents.
The film opens with Joe visiting what seems to his birth mother, Barbara, but she does not want to see him. Joe
persists, and she eventually reveals the truth. She had been a nurse at a hospital for the mentally handicapped,
where Joe's parents - Harry and Janet - were patients. It transpired that they had been having sexual relations
and Janet was seven months' pregnant. Her baby was born via Caesarean section and Janet never knew she
had a son. Barbara agreed to have her name put on the baby's birth certificate in order to cover up the scandal.

Joe is rather shocked, to say the least, but he is determined to meet his birth parents, and Barbara eventually
tracks them down. Joe gradually gets to know Harry quite well. Amongst other things, he is surprised to learn
that Harry has a job and is relatively normal. Joe brings Harry and Janet home to meet his family and friends, 
including his adoptive mother and his in-laws. However, Joe's relationship with his wife become strained over
the course of the film, amid Cath's concern that their baby could have inherited the defective genes of Joe's
parents. While Joe is initially rather distressed by the idea that his parents are disabled, and turns his anger
on his wife and friends, he eventually comes to accept Harry and Janet for what they are, and abandons any
prejudices he may have had.

The Verdict:  'Flesh and Blood' is a thought-provoking film that features a great script and excellent acting all
round. Christopher Eccleson in particular is superb, while the realism of the film is increased by the fact that
the people who play Harry and Janet really are mentally-handicapped, rather than professional actors. The last
scene, where Joe tries to explain to Harry that he is Joe's father is understated and touching, and sum up the
film as a whole.