‘Monica & David’ premieres Thursday on HBO
October 12th, 2010
For couple with Down syndrome, does love conquer all?
Newsweek calls this Tribeca-award-winning documentary “a triumph” and “a refreshing and rare story for television.” It’s a chronicle of the courtship, marriage, and happily-ever-after of Monica and David, two young people who have Down syndrome.
The Washington Post calls it “a moving affair, a film that can inspire tears of joy within the first five minutes.”
At a time when characters with disabilities are almost unseen on TV, filmmaker Ali Codina provides an intimate portrait of these two as they struggle to balance their desires for independence with their need to rely on others for assistance. The pair live with family, and have not been able to find work.
Codina tells the Miami Herald that she hopes the film will help build public awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities .
“That was always my goal throughout the making of the film: To get it to the largest audience possible who may know very little about disabilities,” Codina says. “Once the viewer connects with the love story, you can start dealing with broader issues, such as addressing the fact that we don’t often acknowledge adults with disabilities as adults. We treat them as children. I also hope people who see Monica & David start to think differently about employment for the disabled. It’s a pretty tough reality in terms of what’s available for them.”
… “Monica & David is one of the greatest love stories of all time,” says Anthony K. Shriver, founder and chairman of Best Buddies. “I am also hopeful that it will be a wake-up call for all of us about the endless love, passion and ability that all individuals with intellectual disabilities possess.”
More coverage in the Denver Post. The movie’s home page is here.
Earlier post here.
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October 13th, 2010 at 6:45 am
A film like this one is a good reminder that people with Down syndrome are more like so-called normal people than they are anything else. They love and cry like anyone else.