Home is a paranoid, comic, hour-long television film made by the BBC and directed by Richard Curson Smith. He adapted it from a short story by J. G. Ballard in 2003. The plot follows a middle class man who chooses to abandon the outside world and restrict himself to not leaving his house, becoming a hermit. He soon starts to destroy his furniture to rid his life of clutter.
The viewer follows his plight through both his video diary (in which he addresses the viewer) and through traditional film cameras.
All he has is the food in his cupboard, and once the bills run out will have no gas or electricity - his mind soon becomes fevered. As he runs out of food he begins to consume shampoo, plants from his garden, his neighbours' cats (which he catches with a home-made trap) and anything else which crosses his path. In his increasing fear of the outside world he kills a man who comes to reclaim the television who insists upon entering, but refuses to hand over a cable which connects his video camera to his television.
Crucially, he claims the house is revealing itself to him, beginning in the attic: a bright light appears and the room expands - this pattern continues and develops. Upon viewing his video diaries he notices the effect does not appear, and is concerned that it may be limited to his mind. The film ends with him killing a friend who breaks into his house following her concern for him - he soon puts her in his freezer and climbs in after her.
Home is a play by David Storey. Written in a quasi-absurdist style heavily influenced by Samuel Becket, it is set in a mental asylum, although this fact is revealed gradually as the story progresses.
The eccentric characters include seemingly benign Harry, highly opinionated Jack, cynical Marjorie, and flirtatious Kathleen. As they interact we come to realize their delusions and pretensions are similar to those of people living in a supposedly normal society.
The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London, then transferred to Broadway. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it began previews on November 10 and opened on November 17, 1970 at the Morosco Theatre, where it ran for 110 performances. The opening night cast included John Gielgud as Harry, Dandy Nichols as Marjorie, Ralph Richardson as Jack, Mona Washbourne as Kathleen. Jessica Tandy replaced Nichols later in the run.
Storey adapted his play for the January 6, 1972 broadcast of the British television series Play for Today. It was directed by Anderson and featured the same cast.
Step Inside.
Umesh, an international undergaduate student from Nepal, struggles with financial difficulties, long-distance family relationships, and a sense of guilt for having left his soul mate back home. Desperate to make his mother and father proud, Umesh is torn between completing his education in America and flying back to Nepal to reunite with Leeza, his long-term girlfriend. Written by Carlson, Greg
Life in the neighborhood is bleak for Dorrie, a misfit 10-year-old whose restrictive upbringing by her disillusioned grandmother leaves her with few friends and a desire to repeatedly run away. But now her mother Lorna is coming home for one of her rare visits, this time determined to turn over a new leaf -- to stay off drugs, raise her daughter, make peace with her mother. All Dorrie wants is to have her little family back to what it once was, but the future will come at a high price, higher than any of them could have imagined. Written by Anonymous
On a gang-controlled dead end street, Sheree Farmer is raising her six children alone. With the help of Mary Abernathy, a former fashion industry executive turned community activist, Sheree struggles to buy her first home and escape her violent and drug-infested Newark neighborhood. In HOME, director Jeffrey Togman follows these two exceptional women in an intimate story that speaks to the future of America's cities. Written by Anonymous
This dark short follows the story of Renee (28), a painter living off her soon-to-be husband Gabriel (36), who makes his living as an overpaid defense lawyer. They both just moved into their modern yet completely sterile loft apartment that has become Renee's gilded cage. One evening out of her desire to find inspiration, she decides to invite Ryan, a young street artist for dinner. As Gabriel unknowingly comes home and realizes the intimate connection that Renee and Ryan share, he feels threatened by this situation and makes it his mission to get Ryan out of his flat. In this way Ryan acts as a catalyst that brings out the dark sides of both characters and exposes the weaknesses of their relationship, their broken hopes and expectations. Written by Nicolas Doldinger
"Home" is the story of Mark, a man who lives rough on the streets. His days are spent begging for small change, as the world moves round him. But what lead him to a life on the streets? Based on real events, "home" moves back through Mark's life to discover a past far removed from his present reality. Written by Anonymous
A disturbing, darkly comic tale of a man who attempts to sever all contact with the outside world, by simply staying at home. As Gerald Ballantyne rids himself of the surface clutter in his life he is lead to a startling discovery; a mystery about the house begins to reveal itself, though possibly only in his fevered mind. The changes begin to obsess and take control of Ballantyne, bring his experiment to a chilling climax. Written by Anonymous
When his family comes into sudden wealth, a young man is naively taken in by a gold-digging chorine who is out to grab his money. But the young man's sister proves wise in the ways of such women and moves to save her brother from the clutches of the vamp. Written by Jim Beaver
A young man tries to improve his life by finding his way home.
Shot in a single day.
