"Cathy Come Home" resulted in a change in the law, ranking it among the most important British theatrical/TV works ever shown. Instrumental in starting the Housing Charity Shelter and later an adjustment in the law in regards to homelessness, it still ranks as a powerhouse of circumstantial eroding family values, lifestyle, and environmental living conditions. It ultimately asks the question: What do you do when your alternatives run out?

Ray Brooks and Carol White star as the hopeful, planning newlyweds who befall bad times when he is unfortunately injured at work. As a domino progression, each valid step in their lives turns more tragic. Heaps of sympathetic emotion bubble over, but it is never shown by director Loach in a cloying way. His matter-of-fact docu-drama direction keeps the viewer on solid footing the entire time. This may be the key to the expression. It drives home much further than simply thinking "I wasn't aware that it was that bad for some". This is a film that stays with you long after the message has sunk in. A true masterpiece. out of