Think of Me First as a Person

The footage in this affecting documentary short about a family's embrace of a son born with Down syndrome began as 16mm home movies taken by the father during the 1960s. Dwight L. Core Sr. started photographing Dwight Jr. as a toddler, sometimes in color but more often in black-and-white, continuing up through 1975. The senior Core also recorded a separate audio track in which he talked about his son not as a case study but as a human being, while also discussing the pain the Cores experienced when they felt the need to institutionalize Dwight Jr. in 1966. The material lay forgotten in an attic until the elder Core's grandson, George A. Ingmire III, discovered it and edited the film into its present form. After being screened at a home movie festival in New Orleans in 2006, the short was chosen for inclusion in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. Think of Me First as a Person is a touching portrait of both the struggles—and emotional rewards—of raising a special-needs child, as well as a snapshot of the less enlightened attitudes that prevailed a half-century ago. DVD extras include brief statements by Ingmire, curator Mike Mashon of the Library of Congress, archivist Dwight Swanson, and film restorer Tom De Smet. The major bonus, however, is Roger M. Richards' short “My Favorite Child,” which combines excerpts from Ingmire's production with new footage of Dwight Jr. in his 40s, living happily with his sister. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)