Complicated Movie Screening

In a failing healthcare system, children with complex, invisible illness and their families are labeled “too complicated” or torn apart by accused of medical child abuse.

In an era when healthcare failures are under scrutiny, COMPLICATED offers a intimate exploration into the lives of young people battling complex, invisible illnesses—and their parents, who risk losing custody when pushing too hard for answers. This gripping documentary reveals a hidden crisis unfolding at the intersection of complicated illness, insufficient research, and a flawed child protection system.

Reviews

• "Captures an uncomfortable truth in our healthcare system...so impactful, hits something deeply resonant.” – Shane Conto/Wasteland Reviewer
• “A powerful exposé of children with complex illnesses and the systems that fail them. With investigative depth and personal storytelling, Andrew Abrahams delivers a heartbreaking wake-up call and a rallying cry for change.” – Tom Needham/SOUNDS with Tom Needham Podcast
• "Emotional, Educational, and Enlightening!” – Brian Sebastian/Movie Reviews And More
• “A thrilling documentary...that will keep you in tears from start to finish.” – John Ramos/Reel In Films
• “An insightful documentary highlighting the challenges of the U.S. health care system that can tear families apart and cost lives.” – Erin Lim/BitchTalk Podcast
• “An understatement of our modern times…Complicated highlights a health care system that is failing our children under the guise of protection when faced with conditions they can’t comprehend.” – Dave Voigt/In The Seats With

Synopsis

COMPLICATED tells the untold stories of children suffering from complex, invisible illness, marginalized by a medical system that fails to provide the care they desperately need. Shuffled between specialists, misdiagnosed, and often labeled with psychological disorders, these young patients fight for validation, respect and normalcy. The film exposes a dark side of pediatric medicine, where parents pushing for answers risk being accused of medically harming their children and even losing custody.

Filmed over seven years, this unflinching documentary explores the “complicated” journeys of young people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a little-known connective tissue disorder that is far more common than most realize. Ranging from mild to life-threatening, EDS is often invisible, and the lack of research and awareness leads to medical gaslighting, where treatments are withheld, insurance is denied, and families are torn apart.

In a healthcare system under intense scrutiny, COMPLICATED pulls back the curtain on a hidden world of suffering and resilience. It highlights courageous young people fighting for their lives, mothers risking everything to protect them, and a system that too often turns a blind eye. Amid this struggle, a spark of hope emerges as patients become their own advocates, researching potential tests and treatments that could change their lives—and possibly the future of medicine.

Your hostess:

Erin Daugherty is a registered nurse with over 15 years of experience in pediatric/neonatal critical care. As an advocate for families living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Erin's work is uniquely driven by her own family's journey. She, along with her two children, was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in 2012, which has given her a rare dual perspective as both a medical professional and a parent navigating the complex challenges of a rare disease.

Erin's advocacy extends to sharing her personal and professional insights, including her family's two-year legal and child protection battle which resulted from a diagnostic dispute. Their experience, which involved facing false charges of Factitious Disease Imposed on Another (formerly Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy) and Medical Child Abuse is chronicled in the documentary film Complicated (2025). Erin's participation in the film provides a powerful, firsthand account of this unseen epidemic of false accusations from the perspective of a pediatric medical professional.

In her past professional roles, Erin served as a Clinical Nurse III at CHOC Children's Hospital of Orange County, where she worked in a Level 3 NICU and the Critical Care Float Pool. Her background in pediatric nursing deeply informs her advocacy work, allowing her to bridge the gap between patient care, family experience, and the medical system.

Erin is committed to fostering understanding and support for the EDS community through her public speaking and advocacy.

Erin lives in Central Oregon with her husband Kevin, her two adult children, Zoe and Zachary,  and their two golden retrievers.  

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Erin Gardner Daugherty