Life in our house
By DAVID DOWNS
South Coast Beacon
David Downs Photos

Something unexpected happened when test audiences watched the true story of a year in the life of three Isla Vistans with Down Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

“They started laughing hysterically,” said “Our House” co-director Greg Shields.

It wasn’t the politically correct thing to do, but the audience couldn’t help it. Moments of pure comedy are juxtaposed with suicide attempts and stories of abuse and alienation.

“They laughed so hard that when the lights went up we thought people would be beaming,” said director Sevan Matossian, “but there were a lot of red eyes and tears.”

Maniacally depressing and disturbingly raw, “Our House”’s 84 minutes of digital footage won Matossian, Shields and producer Bessie Morgan the Best Documentary Award at the 2003 Nodance Film Festival.

Now, the momentum of such a cinematic coup for the young men who created IVTV has carried them to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The hometown screening this Sunday at the Victoria Theater coincides with a same-day showing in San Jose at the Cineqest Film Festival.

The behind the scenes story begins with Matossian, who in 1998 took a job at an Isla Vista home for disabled adults. A total of eight men and women live with the assistance of a mostly young staff hired by Sojourn Services Inc.

Matossian knew he always wanted to document life at the home on the 6600 block of Sueno Road, but it wasn’t until 2001 that he and Morgan began recording more than 100 hours of footage on a miniDV camera.

“Even when we weren’t filming, it’s kind of like always being on a set,” said Matossian. “There’s absolutely no acting in the film; that’s just the way it is.”

‘The way it is is both riveting and disturbing.

Laura — a 21 year-old whose disabilities include Tourette’s, autism, and fetal alcohol syndrome discusses being sexually
abused in a mental institution and wanting to die because of the disabilities that “God put in my head.”

The 46 year-old, wheelchair-bound Tim W. details the handgun murder of his abusive father by his stepfather. A cerebral palsy sufferer with seven fingers, Tim drinks heavily while badgering other residents, and his drinking
aggravates his cerebral palsy to the point of seizures.

Tim S. was born with Down Syndrome that went undiagnosed until the seventh grade. His aggression and theft landed him in Santa Barbara County Jail.

The residents and their parents agreed to let Matossian film, and confidentiality concerns weren’t the biggest barrier between the viewer and the reality of life with Tim S., Tim W., and Laura.

“I was so close to them that I couldn’t tell what to leave in or cut,” said Matossian, who said the film wouldn’t have been possible without years of access to the Sojourn’s house. “I wanted to draw a line to protect them. Greg and Bessie helped with the film’s objectivity.”

As far as what the three “Our House” stars of think of the finished product, “they are happy to get their story told,” said Matossian.

“They wanted people to know that they exist and need attention from society.”

Since the movie’s release, Isla Vistans have recognized them in public and given them a unusually friendly, ‘Hello.’ Movie groupies have even dropped by the house to get a peak at the stars.

“This movie increases compassion and awareness of these people,” said Morgan. “People just want to ignore it and sweep it under the carpet.”

Although the filmmakers didn’t expect loads of laughter from their test audience, the comic aspects of the film contrast with and enhance the tragic — ultimately adding depth to the cast of “Our House” in a way that couldn’t be accomplished with a sober, politically correct public service announcement-style film about respecting the disabled.

“They’re just like you and me,” said Matossian. “They’re just like everyone else, and I really think that’s what’s being conveyed here.”

“Our House” makes its Santa Barbara debut at 9 p.m. Sunday at Victoria Hall, 33 W. Victoria St. Tickets are available at the Arlington Theatre and by phone at 963.4408.