Rent Cathy Come Home (1966)

A devastating, horrific & deeply emotional look at the housing & benefits system of post-war Britain - Cathy Come Home review by TB

When people in the UK talk about films which actually moved the needle of change & provoked both outrage & action to change the very way of life, Cathy Come Home is almost always mentioned. First released as a television play on the BBC, it ushered in a new wave of filmmaking, using the medium of entertainment media as a way to expose & shock people into the horrors that were happening, just out of their view.

The story of Cathy & Reg, an idealistic couple who meet and fall madly in love, before a set of circumstances over which they have no control tip them into a downward spiral, is devastating. Reg's dreams of being able to live in a beautiful house & provide for his family, alongside Cathy's want for a wonderful life to raise their children in, are dreams that all young families have. It is also shown clearly that Reg is a hard worker who simply wants the chance to improve his life for himself and his family.

The scenes of people claiming to want to help, but still forcing the family further down into the straight jacket of an inflexible benefits system, is heartbreaking, leading up to the final devastating scene in a train station as Cathy attempts to flee.

This is monumental British filmmaking and prompted real change, including the founding of the charity Shelter. However, in many ways the change simply hasn't continued. Towards the end, I remember thinking of the disgusting comments made by then-home secretary Suella Braverman about individuals who were homeless being engaged in "a lifestyle choice." One watch of this shows you how hollow & dispicible those sorts of comments are, tarring hundred of thousands of decent people with the same brush.

Ready for a remake - Cathy Come Home review by MD

A dated looking B/W film from the 1960's but still completely relevant, about a young couple's descent into homelessness. I don't know about the ins and outs of the social security system these days, but I recognised the surrounding conversation about immigratnts and housing shortages. It was word for word exacly the same as it is now. It's shocking to realise, we in Britain are still going round and round in the same circles... the immigrants are causing the housing shortage... oh no they are not, we need them to do jobs we cannot fill ourselves... and so on. WOW!