About the Film
Lifelines is a short documentary following two families whose lives are transformed overnight when they find themselves needing to care for vulnerable family members. In one of the only countries in the world without any form of national paid leave, these families represent the stories of millions who struggle to get by when a new baby or a sick loved one needs care. We follow two couples, Habibah and Rasheed in New Jersey and Elizabeth and Lee in Colorado, and watch as they are able to access state programs that offer them paid family leave. Through their experiences, we see how having time to heal, care, and connect can change everything—when everything changes. What would it mean if every family had this lifeline?