Synopsis

SAFE AS HOUSES tells the story of Aggie, a woman with Down syndrome living independently in a small community estate. Free-running kids play on the green outside her house: a stage at the centre of sitting room windows. Of all the children who gather here, Aggie has taken a shine to Lucy, who often looks sad, sitting apart from the other children. It's a hot, sticky summer's day when Aggie finds young Lucy upset outside her door and invites her inside to cheer her up. They dance, they play, they laugh before their fun reveals the underlying issue of why Lucy doesn't want to return home. Aggie's intentions are muddled with everyone's preconceptions. And so begins a showdown between furious parents and the judging onlookers.