Board and Care

I saw this film years ago at a festival. It is extradinary! I've never forgotten it and have searched for it in vain. Where/how can I find the full movie? Such a compelling & all too true story should be readily available & would make a powerful and universal impact on many many people.

Ron Ellis's and Sarah Pillsbury's Oscar-winning "Board and Care" looks at a pair of Down's Syndrome-afflicted youths trying to connect with each other. There's probably no way for us to imagine what it must be like to live with this condition, but these youths make an effort to connect, despite people wanting to keep them apart.

Obviously this isn't the most readily available documentary, but you can find it on Vimeo (a lesser-known version of YouTube). Ellis posted it to his account there, preceded by footage of him and Pillsbury winning the Oscar for it and bringing Laura with them to the stage.

I should note that while this is a documentary, some of the characters are people playing roles. One is Luana Anders, who co-starred in "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961) and "Easy Rider" (1969).

Definitely check it out.

This is a difficult film for me to review, and I did not appreciate it at first. Most of the movie seems like a documentary and it is not until the end that you realize this is a regular short drama instead. The unusual aspect is that most of the actors and actresses are obviously severely mentally retarded in their real lives. It is not an enjoyable film per se; however, once you recognize that it is not a documentary, you recognize the true value and merit of the film. It must have been an unusual challenge to produce and direct this work, and that is probably why it received an Oscar. Board and Care is difficult to locate, but it is available from Pyramid Media.