Mr. Nobody / by Lyn Wright for the National Film Board of Canada.

Format:

Video

Contributor:

Wright, Lyn., Producer, Director.

Series:

Academic Video Online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Older people--Ontario--Social conditions.

Older people.

Genre:

Documentary films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (36 min.).

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Filmakers Library, 1990.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

Summary:

Do mentally competent seniors have the right to neglect themselves and their surroundings to the extent that they offend the community? What should be done when reclusive or eccentric seniors refuse help? Do government agencies have an obligation to intervene? Mr. Nobody sensitively addresses these questions by focusing on quirky 65-year old, Jack Huggins. Jack has lived alone in his family's house ever since the death of his parents. A bachelor, he lavishes affection on a menagerie of cats. The house is crammed with discarded appliances collected from garbage cans. Jack's troubles began when his neighbors complained to the Health Department about the condition of his house. Health officials came and carted away his "junk". For a time Jack was certified incompetent and his financial affairs were monitored by a state-appointed trustee. He deeply resented this interference, having always functioned independently. "I never owed a person a cent and now I'm being treated like Mr. Nobody," he protested. Finally a senior advocacy agency had him re-assessed by a psychiatrist.In no other film have these legal, ethical and human issues been addressed so clearly and poignantly.

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed Dec. 12, 2013).

National Council on Aging, 1990

Gerontological Society of America, 1989

Blue Ribbon, American Film & Video Festival, 1988

OCLC:

840840853