Our Curse

'Our Curse' is a 2013 Polish short documentary film directed by Tomasz Śliwiński. The film chronicles the deeply personal story of the director and his wife, Magda, as they struggle to care for their newborn son who is diagnosed with Ondine's curse, a rare and fatal respiratory disorder.

Ondine's curse, clinically known as Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), is a severe neurological disorder where the autonomic nervous system fails to control breathing. Patients with this condition, like the baby in the film, stop breathing entirely when they fall asleep and must be connected to a mechanical ventilator to survive.

Yes, the film was nominated for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 87th Academy Awards held in 2015. It was highly praised by critics for its raw, unflinching look at the psychological toll of caring for a severely ill child.

The film was directed by Polish filmmaker Tomasz Śliwiński. Śliwiński and his wife, Magda, served as the primary subjects of the documentary, using their own home video footage to document their emotional journey.