FILM SYNOPSIS:

MONICA & DAVID explores the marriage of two adults with Down syndrome and the family who strives to support their needs.  Monica and David are blissfully in love and want what other adults have—an independent life.

Directed by Monica’s cousin, the film has a storybook beginning with a young couple full of hope and laughter.  Just before the wedding, a self-assured Monica declares: “It’s all about him, and all about me.  This is my day.  It’s my life, to be with my husband forever”.  By their side are two fearless mothers who realize a lifelong dream—a “normal” life for their adult children while having trouble to letting go, and well aware of the mainstream rejection of adults with intellectual disabilities.

Marriage for adults with Down syndrome is very unusual, in part because until recently people with Down lived short isolated lives.  Although Monica and David’s love is never in question, the honeymoon rapture slowly subsides as the realities of everyday life sink in. The move to a new apartment with Monica’s mother and adoptive father disrupts the routine that the couple relies on. In the midst of the chaos, David is diagnosed with diabetes. Will the couple ever be independent?  Full of humor, romance and everyday family drama, the film, uses intimate fly-on-the wall footage to reveal the complexity of their story.  Best Documentary, 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY:

Alexandra Codina was named one of "10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2009" by The Independent. She is involved with advocacy and strategic planning for several nonprofits and is currently directing a short documentary on a 96-year-old farmer in rural Connecticut. Monica & David is her first feature film.