CARE HOUSE
BBC TWO Monday 9 February 2004 11.20pm-12.55am
Six months in the life of John and Rose Cusick's unconventional care home in York.
The people living at the care home have a range of learning difficulties and often exhibit challenging behaviour, which in the past has got them into trouble with the law. Many have spent time in prison or secure units for offences including violence and arson. Several of the residents have been classified as untreatable psychopaths.
Resident David gets in and out of various scrapes, from being caught drilling holes through his bedroom wall to spy on a female member of staff, to stealing from a charity shop. Peter longs for independence, wanting to live on his own with his girlfriend. Gary is left devastated as he contemplates his vicious attack on a female member of staff. Wendy and her son Ben are attempting to cope with life outside the care home, and Jonathan is dealing with the death of his father.
This is a poignant portrait of a group people living on the edge of society. Beneath the human stories is a subtext which questions society's treatment of people with these kinds of behavioural problems.
MORGAN MATTHEWS
Director interview
"I immediately knew I wanted to make a film there"
