Directed by filmmaker Andrew Abrahams (Academy Award shortlisted films ‘Under Our Skin’ and ‘American Justice on Trial,’ Emmy nominee ‘Bubbeh Lee & Me,’ National PBS’ ‘The Grove,’ the Sundance Channel’s ‘Hope Is The Thing With Feathers’), the feature documentary Complicated tells the story of kids with the devastatingly complicated connective-tissue disease Ehler’s-Danlos syndrome (EDS). The film looks at parents who risk losing them if they go too far to help (including potentially losing their parental rights).

Complicated will World Premiere at Slamdance Film Festival 2025, taking place February 20th – 26th with in-person screenings at the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) and at the Quixote West Hollywood Studios, and will be available virtually from February 24th – March 7th.

Kids with complex and uncommon diseases whose care is too complicated for mainstream medicine are getting tossed around from specialist to specialist, abandoned, and accused of psychological disorders. They often live with chronic pain and other disabling symptoms, but are unable to get the help they need because they are considered too medically complex, legally risky, or worse, because their parents are accused of over-medicalizing or abusing them.

Filmed over seven years, Complicated focuses on young people with one of the most prevalent of these conditions, a connective-tissue disease called Ehler’s-Danlos syndrome (EDS). In the film we learn that Elvis had it, which explains his wild dance moves and pain pill addiction. A Miss America had it, but you’d never know. It’s a variable condition with symptoms that can be mild or deadly, but what differentiates EDS and other complicated illnesses is their invisibility—a lack of research, awareness and accurate diagnostics—which too often leads to medical gaslighting and denial of treatment or insurance coverage. In a time when the failures of healthcare in America are coming under scrutiny, “Complicated” takes the viewer into the hidden world of brave young people trying to survive with a complex illness, mothers risking loss of custody to help them, and medical and child protective systems failing them at every turn. But through advocating for themselves and researching their own disease genetics, a glimmer of hope appears on the horizon.

In a statement, director Andrew Abrahams said, “I was introduced to this world by a mother of three complicated kids. She had seen my Oscar-shortlisted documentary “Under Our Skin ” about Lyme disease and the medical controversy surrounding it, and saw many parallels regarding the lack of accurate diagnostics, poor research and patient gaslighting. I was immediately interested, drawn to nuanced stories that play out under the radar, about the collision of forces that conceal both silent suffering and seeds of hope.”

Watch the trailer for Complicated

An Open Eye Pictures production, the film was directed, produced and shot by Andrew Abrahams; co-produced by Donna Sullivan; edited by Alex Albers; and executive produced by Tracy Finnegan, and Charlotte Deering McCormick. Sales for the film are being handled by Blood Sweat Honey.