Drama starring Steven Brandon. Luke, an adult with Down's syndrome, is forced to move into a care facility following the death of his mother. Frustrated by his new living conditions, the previously independent Luke eventually befriends a care worker and a troubled young gardener, and helps a girl who has been injured by a fox trap.
Not since Pascal Duquenne teamed with Daniel Auteuil in French road movie The Eighth Day (1996), has an actor with Down's syndrome made such an impact on a debut as Steven Brandon does in this affecting study of independence and friendship. Suddenly left alone after the death of his mother, 30-something Luke (Brandon) is dispatched to the Blossom House care facility, as it's presumed he cannot possibly fend for himself. In fact, he's an intelligent and resourceful individual, who not only makes connections with perky helper Eve (Shana Swash) and cynical handyman Pete (Will Rastall), but also secretly nurses a young girl after people traffickers abandon her in the woods. Screenwriter Duncan Paveling struggles to integrate this final plot strand with a denunciation of fox hunting, but he laudably resists undue sentiment and avoids patronising his characters. Swash and Rastall (whose character has his own grief issues) provide deft support, but it's the wondrously natural and insightful Brandon who holds the picture together.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Luke | Steven Brandon |
| Eve | Shana Swash |
| Pete | Will Rastall |
| The Girl | Pixie Le Knot |
| Joan | Eileen Pollock |
| Margaret | Suzanna Hamilton |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Jane Gull |
