Impish and twinkle-eyed, Sh'mal Ellenberg can joke about his chaotic work: helping mentally-ill drug addicts reclaim their lives.

His clients are people like Kat, a hot-blooded women with insight into her mental illness, and Dale, a charismatic man with an unending drug addiction.

Sh'mal can relate to his clients and their life on the fringes of society--never losing his cool when they throw tantrums or get evicted from their apartments. Yet, when faced with the choice to reunite with his estranged, alcoholic, and sometimes homeless son after a ten year disconnect, Sh'mal must come to terms with his own conflicting emotions about family, addiction and the struggle to fit into mainstream society.

A Sh’mal World journeys through the life and heart of a quirky social worker who, with a mixture of persistence, humor and compassion, offers stability and support to his mentally-ill drug addicted clients. But his emotions waver when he faces a reunion with his estranged, alcoholic son who also lives on the fringes of society.

Kat, a physically tiny yet big-tempered woman, faces her anxiety, bi-polar disorder and mortality with no nonsense. She reacts to most situations with an emotional meltdown and threatens to prostitute herself to earn enough money for surgery on her dogs injured leg.

After eviction, Dale, a jubilant St. Croix native who shouts when he speaks, yearns for a better life in his new apartment. Sh'mal refers Dale, who is unable to handle the simplest chores like grocery shopping, to a supposedly more intensive treatment program for people with schizophrenia, but Dale is forced to sell nearly all his possessions to support his untreated crack addiction.

Meanwhile, in Denver, Colorado, Miguel Ellenberg, a hard-drinking, intelligent man has a slippery hold on housing and employment. When the father and son, who share a similar sensitivity to people, love of wise-cracking and ability to reflect reunite after a 10-year disconnect, Sh’mal displays his poignant anxiety over Miguel’s lifestyle.
Shot in cinema vérité style, A Sh’mal World, takes a microscopic look at the impaired world of America’s hopeless population and the recovery process of people who just don't belong.