High Five is a story about Cathy and Martin Ward, an average Canadian couple who can’t have children of their own, who go out and adopt internationally. They bring in seven-year-old Alyona from the Ukraine, and when it’s discovered she has a nine-year-old sister, Snezhana, they agree to adopt her as well. It doesn’t stop there, however: there is one older sister and two brothers, and as the parents commit to adopting all five Ukrainian siblings, we follow their integration into the West and the teething issues around it. Memories of war and horror are etched in the childrens’ past, and it’s not easy to integrate into their new life in Vancouver. When Martin falls sick the integrity of the family is endangered in this intimate portrayal of family life like no other.

Price $3.99