"I used to feel like it was all my fault. And that my life was just one big mistake."—Marni Jamieson

People with mild mental retardation in some ways suffer more than those who are more impaired - they stand on the cusp of "normal," aware that they don't quite "make the cut." Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown, a video documentary, is an intimate look inside this world.

Marni and Kris Jamieson - the filmmaker's sister and brother-in-law—are a married, developmentally disabled couple living and working in New York City. They tell their story from their own sometimes irreverent perspectives—avoiding the saccharine, condescending feel of so many documentaries about the mentally handicapped. Narration (other than by Kris or Marni) is deliberately absent in this gritty-textured tale.

Marni's handicap is on the table from the outset. A sequence of stills shows her as a teenager - in one, she appears to be inside a test tube, as she explains how her parents filed a lawsuit "because they thought that what was wrong with me was the doctor's fault." But in an unexpected point-of-view change, Marni herself conducts the opening interview—with her sister, asking why she's doing the documentary.

Aware of their handicaps, Marni and Kris must come to terms with people's prejudices and their own frustrated ambitions. Vulnerable but plucky, and armed with a strong sense of humor, they make their separate ways via bus and subway to their workplaces. For Kris, it's a paying maintenance/stockroom job with Kids 'R' Us, where he works 8 to 10 hours a week; for Marni, a demoralizing placement at a Goodwill sheltered workshop, where she brings home—at best—a dollar an hour. The workshop won't allow videotaping on its premises because, as Marni puts it, "the stupid lawyers had to butt in."

As Kris briskly mops, empties trash, and cleans mirrors at Kids "R" Us, a discouraged Marni meets with her social worker, describing her effort to find temporary office work. Kris participates actively in store meetings, entertaining his coworkers, and is praised by his supervisors. Marni grows increasingly jealous of him, her self-esteem damaged by the loss of a "real" job she once had at a McDonald's. She tells her social worker that she wants to "spread her wings," but one wonders: what are her real prospects, and is she ready to face them?

When they're not working, Marni and Kris party with their friends, visit family, and even arrange a romantic getaway to the Pocono mountains (although the person at the other end of the phone will only take a money order from them). Playing with her beloved baby niece, Marni is unfairly reprimanded for not being gentle with the baby. She yearns to have children of our own, but is forced to agree with Kris, who says, "I can't afford kids."

Marni, wanting to better herself, attends a school program for the handicapped, drawing respect and laughter from her classmates. But her jealousy of her sister, who has a graduate degree, emerges. "If everything had been OK", she tells her social worker, she might have tried to get a degree in computers, or "maybe something more people-related."

Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown (a term coined by Kris) is an inside look at life at its most human. Marni is insightful, charming, emotional, manipulative; Kris is a "basic guy," an uncomplicated and practical man of action (Marni says he needs to be more practical). Their interwoven stories climax in a powerful point-counterpoint in which Marni speaks eloquently about the stigma of being handicapped, while Kris shrugs it off, saying he "blends in with everybody else." Finally, he admits, "I take it one day at a time."

The lighter side of their life together is apparent when Marni launches into a parody of her sister the filmmaker—the newest member of "Videoholics Anonymous." "I can even imagine myself picking up a social security check with a video camera in my hand," she quips, as Kris snaps photos. "Ladies and gentlemen, can we please help this poor helpless soul?"

The story ends romantically in the Poconos, as Marni and Kris dance, reflect on their relationship, and pose for goofy photos. But we're reminded that their life ambitions haven't been met.

Lifestyles challenges many common stereotypes, inviting questions about what "intelligence" is and what's important in life. Mentally disabled protagonists are rarely given their own voice unless they're being shown as "cute." Here, Marni and Kris not only have a voice, but they are fully developed as characters with complex personalities—intelligent and appealing screen "heroes."

The editing, drawing upon more than 40 hours of footage, often juxtaposes Kris and Marni's different experiences and "takes" on their situation. Cinema verite interactions with family, friends, coworkers, and their urban environment reveal their different operating strategies, their wit, and people's attitudes toward them. By showing rather than telling, the film actively involves viewers, who are rewarded with unexpected insights. There are moments of pathos, but also moments of high comedy - in which it's clear that Marni and Kris aren't always victims.