Dina

In this engrossing documentary by filmmakers Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, two people on the autism spectrum--Dina Buno and Scott Levin--meet at a support group for the mentally challenged and decide to get married. Dina is the more experienced of the pair in terms of previous relationships; she was happily married, but her husband died. And then one in a string of boyfriends--a man she simply calls "the psycho"--tried to stab her to death before tearfully calling the police to turn himself in. Dina still yearns for affection, and she is deeply attracted to the gentleness of Scott, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The film follows the pair as they prepare for their wedding--to the concern of both Dina’s hard-nosed mother and Scott’s parents, who have sheltered him all his life. The cameras visit her bachelorette party, complete with a dancing cop, as well as his far more sedate stag party at a bowling alley. The film’s main focus, however, is on the intimacy that Dina needs but Scott seems unable, or unwilling, to provide. A trip to the beach (his first ever), in which she tries to discuss the issue, proves at once touching and more than a little uncomfortable, as though we have become voyeurs intruding into a moment that should remain private. Yet it is this extraordinary access that Dina and Scott gave to the filmmakers that makes the end result so inspiring and hopeful. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)