In the Family

In the Family follows filmmaker Joanna Rudnick as she navigates the uncertain world of genetic testing. With the knowledge in hand that she has an up to 85 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer and an up to 60 percent lifetime risk of ovarian cancer, she must weigh what measures to take to prevent the disease suffered by generations of women in her family. As she turns 32, she balances dreams of having her own family with the unnerving reality that she is risking her life by holding on to her fertility. Joanna looks to other women who carry the BRCA mutation to help her understand her options for the future. She learns about great strides in prophylactic breast surgery during impromptu “show and tells” and finds a sense of belonging in this new community of women. Along the way, she also explores the legal, ethical, psychological, and social complexities of genetic testing for a disease that has no cure and for which the only proven preventative measures involve removing healthy body parts.