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Short Synopsis People with mild mental retardation stand on the cusp of "normal," aware that they don't quite "make the cut." Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown looks inside the hearts and minds of two such people: Marni and Kris Jamieson, a married couple living, loving, and working in New York City. Aware of their handicaps, they must come to terms with peoples' prejudices and their own frustrated ambitions. Their real-life, gritty-textured story, filmed by Marni's sister over a two-year period, reveals contrasting, articulate, sometimes irreverent perspectives -- laced with a strong sense of humor. It counters saccharine portrayals of the mentally disabled as pitiable or cute, and raises questions about what "intelligence" really is. Running time 46:35 UNKNOWN NO MORE: INSIDE THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED People with mild developmental disabilities stand on the cusp of "normal," aware that they don't quite "make the cut." Welcome to the Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown, an inside documentary look at the lives of Kris and Marni Jamieson, a mentally handicapped husband and wife in New York City. The couple's real-life, gritty-textured story, shot largely in cinema verite style by producer/director Nancy Fliesler (Marni's sister), counters the usual saccharine portrayals of the mentally disabled as pitiable or cute. Marni and Kris speak for themselves. Their contrasting, articulate voices are sometimes upbeat, sometimes filled with sadness, sometimes matter-of-fact, and often hilariously irreverent. Aware of their handicaps, the couple must come to terms with peoples' prejudices and their own frustrated ambitions. Vulnerable but plucky, they make their separate ways via bus and subway to their workplaces -- for Kris, 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. (The best assignment there is "clothing," because it pays a dollar an hour.) When they're not working, the couple parties with friends, visits family, and even arranges a romantic getaway to the Poconos. Marni tries to better herself by attending school and visiting a social worker. In love with her baby niece, she yearns to have children of her own, but she is forced to agree with Kris, who says, "I can't afford kids." 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 (though Marni says he needs to be more practical). Their interwoven stories climax in a powerful point-counterpoint: Marni speaks eloquently about the stigma of being disabled, while Kris shrugs it off, saying he "just blends in with everybody else." Finally, he admits, "I take it one day at a time." Fliesler shot the 47-minute, very-low-budget documentary (cash outlays under $20,000) with a Hi-8 camera over a period of two years, beginning in the summer of 1996. The film, compiled from some 40 hours of footage, marks Fliesler's debut as a documentary producer/director. "I was privileged to have the trust of Marni and Kris and access to virtually all aspects of their lives," Fliesler says. For their part, Marni and Kris both understand the implications of being videotaped, and hope Lifestyles will change the public's thinking about people with developmental disabilities. |
