Part 1: Summary of the main points
The documentary is about Brian Davis, a graduate of Cambridge, who at age 54, is suffering from homelessness, mental illness mainly manic depression and alcoholism. Brian was a well-known journalist in the mid-1980s. Brian’s mental illness started when he was 39 years of age and had barely worked for a week as an editor of the ‘Campaign’ a then-new advertising journal, in the year 1984. Brian Davis is dismissive of his mental illness, and whenever he experiences a manic attack, he substitutes treatment with alcohol. Brain had poor money management skills, and whenever he got money, he would spend it on alcohol and cigarettes. He is also unable to take care of himself when he was given a house by a family relative. After a series of fire in his new place, Brian sought treatment and was diagnosed with hyper-mania. He was unable to stay alone and preferred the hospital, where he left and went back to drinking alcohol. He mixed his medication with alcohol. However, he was unable to cope due to depression, and he moved out one night to the rooftop, and he was found dead in the courtyard, where he had committed suicide by throwing himself from the roof.
Part 2
He is mentioned as an alcoholic in the documentary, and I agree with this point. From the documentary, he had been called for an interview in Paris, and was given some money by his friend for his travel expenses. He never went to Paris but instead, spent the whole money, 450 pounds on alcohol and cigarettes. He was also given some money by the DSS, some 700 pounds, which he also spent on alcohol, and over three days, the money was gone.
Brian is mentioned as being in denial and suffering from depression. From the documentary, he became dismissive of his condition when asked about it by one of the interviewers from the documentary. He also denied of spending his money, which was given to him by his friend, on alcohol, claiming that he was robbed from the pub he had gone to have a few drinks. He is also depressed, because when he had started his first fire from the shelter he was given by his family relative, he admitted to being depressed, and committed suicide after failing to cope with his illness after disappearing from the hospital where he was receiving treatment.
He is also mentioned as being irresponsible since he mismanaged his money given to him. An example is the 450 pounds where he spent all of it in the bar drinking alcohol. His social security funds that he had received, like 700 pounds also wasted after three days. Brian also lived in a tip in the house he had been given for almost two weeks. The house was full of cigarettes and beer cans, and also old newspapers. He was also shown unable to take care of himself when he was taken to a hostel accommodation while receiving treatment but chose to go back when he was unable to cope.
Works Cited
Urban Moving Systems. Brian’s Story- BBC Documentary Films 2015- Homeless, Mental Health, and Alcohol, Full Documentary. Online video clip. You Tube. You Tube. 2015. Web. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF26vpj5lko
