Jefftowne (1997)
jefftowne is a 1998 documentary shot and directed by Daniel Kraus and distributed by Troma Entertainment. It chronicles the life of Jeff Towne, a 40 year old Iowa City resident who suffers from Downs Syndrome, obesity, alcoholism, and circulation problems. Towne also enjoys pornography and lives with his 90-year-old adoptive grandmother.
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Best movie ever!
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Making a documentary about a man with down syndrome can not be an easy thing to do. Some people would simply exploit the subject of the film and play it for laughs. Fortunately, this is not the case with JeffTowne. Daniel Kraus never crossed that line of exploitation, while still providing the viewer with laughs naturally through Jeff's unique personality. Jeff seems a lot happier than other people in the movie and relishes in the fact that he is in this film. This is independent film making at its finest. Kraus didn't worry about having a polished piece of work, but instead focused on telling a unique story about a man that had made an impact on his and his friend's and co-worker's lives.