18 min / narrative / 2009 / USA
filmmaker: Kim Spurlock
Retired coal miner Carl Short, 65, lives with his 40-year old, son Sammy, who has Down syndrome. Carl suffers from black lung. When money from a class action lawsuit fails to materialize, Carl realizes his options are running out.
Who will take care of Sammy when he is gone? He turns to Raymond Atkins, Sammy’s childhood friend and protector. But Raymond is now a middle-aged, single father overwhelmed by his own problems. Rooted in the Southern Gothic storytelling tradition, “Down in Number 5” is a tender portrait of a man pushed to his limits for the love of his son and a haunting rumination on family and community in Appalachia. Based on a true story.
Sam has a passion to be a dancer, but is too shy to realize her dreams. When Peaches (her magical inner-diva-cum-drag queen) materializes on one night, Sam’s dreams transform into reality.
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Tom holds a secret in his human heart; a wing beat and a flutter, and it’s bursting to take flight in this tale of magical realism.
Lou may have Down’s Syndrome but she is more than capable of looking after herself and she longs for independence.
A teenage girl who feels left out and ignored by her peers, is inspired to do something audacious in order to get noticed.
A playful and unsentimental portrait of Rene, a young man with Down syndrome, made by his close friend Duane Graves.
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