I Won't Go

In this provocative and disturbing documentary short, British filmmaker Georgina Hurcombe turns her camera on an important influence during her childhood: Oli Truss, a former headmistress who tutored Hurcombe many years earlier. Returning to Oli's home, Hurcombe finds the 90-year-old living in a dilapidated, rat- and insect-infested residence with only a dog, cat, and Shetland pony as company. Oli's infirmities prevent her from reaching her house's second level, so she maneuvers her walker through piles of dust-covered objects before finding a free space in her kitchen where she can sit and boil water for tea. Oli appears to be completely oblivious to the squalor and wreckage surrounding her, insisting that she is perfectly happy living this way—a claim confirmed by a home care worker (who empties the maggots from the long-unwashed kitchen bowls), and by Oli's neighbors, who speak with cautious respect about her sense of independence without mentioning the filth and muck of the home. While the circumstances that ultimately led to Oli's reclusive lifestyle are detailed—her husband's significant cash windfall from a betting pool created a permanent rift in their once-happy marriage, causing her to gradually retreat from the world—Hurcombe never directly asks Oli or her neighbors about the obvious health issues created by her unhygienic existence. But when Oli assertively states that she was born in the house and will die there (she passed away shortly after filming ended), one can understand how her strong spirit—reflected in the film's title—overshadowed the disaster surrounding her. A thought-provoking profile, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)