We Could Never Have Imagined It

Three women tell of their lives with a mentally handicapped child: Birgit's son Jelte is eight years old and seriously disabled. Arne, Anke's son, is 18 and has Down's Syndrome - people generally refer to him as a Mongol. Angelika's son Farid is mentally handicapped. The women talk about their experiences with doctors and the people around them, about isolation and integration, about coping with crises and the changes brought about in their own lives. Parallel to this, the film shows sections of the children's everyday life at school, therapy and the community where they live. Arne and Farid also supplement their mothers' narratives with their own self-confident statements.