Where I End and You Begin

A single mother and her son with Down syndrome are stuck in a limbo between a difficult present and a future which looks hopeless.

It’s been fifteen years since Mariana ran away from her violent husband, carrying only her eight year old son Alex, who has Down syndrome. Since then she has dedicated her life to singlehandedly taking care of him, with no support from the institutions whatsoever.
As Alex graduates from high-school and her already critical financial situation worsens, mother and son try to escape their harsh reality by moving to a seaside town, but only end up isolating more and more.
When Alex shows signs of a violent predisposition, Mariana is faced with an excruciating dilemma: commit her son to the institutions that have failed them and maybe never see him again or keep him locked up at home, sedated and with the risk of him hurting her or himself or even worse…
Exploring loneliness, trauma and co-dependency, Where I End And You Begin is an intimate family story carrying deep universal themes.

Engineering graduate, professional actor for the past twenty years, David Power has always carried a deep love for film. Thanks to international collaborative filmmaking movement Kino, he starts shooting, editing and producing micro-budget short films. He is fascinated by themes of family relationships, coming of age, social issues and activism. His first documentary short Brotherness, shot at Aristoteles Workshop premiered at Fipadoc and is currently having its international festival run. Where I End And You Begin is his first feature film.

Brotherness
2021 – Romania – 8 mins;
Fipadoc;
Manchester Film Festival 2023;
Minimalen Youth and Children Program 2023

MakeDox-Award Doc Around Europe Network award ’24

BDC Discoveries 2023-BDC Discoveries Award

East Doc Market 2023

Ex-Oriente Script Lab 2022

Astra Dok Tank 2020 (as Parentwood as previous title)

Lisbon Docs 2018 (as Mother And Son as previous title)