Katie Price has been preparing for this moment for a long time. Sending your grown-up child out into the world is a bittersweet experience for any parent – but when yours was born with complex needs and conditions and has required near-constant care his entire life, as Price’s son Harvey has, it adds a whole new level of worry. Though many people remember her as a charismatic glamour model turned reality TV star, Price clearly has a more complicated life than what is reported in the tabloids. Katie Price: Harvey and Me, released last year, provided a moving look at the mother-son relationship as Harvey grew into an adult. He is now 19 years old and is about to begin attending a full-time specialist college that will prepare him for a more advanced career.
Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next, a sensitive follow-up documentary, depicts how a mother and son adjust to living apart for the first time. We get a glimpse into their deep bond, as we did before; it’s a bond that has them finishing each other’s sentences, sharing regular hugs and kisses, and frequently telling each other “I love you.” Price knows exactly how to calm Harvey when he’s overwhelmed – and there’s no hint that they’re acting for the camera.
Price puts on a brave face, but her worries about Harvey’s departure become more apparent as the day of Harvey’s departure approaches. “And what will you do if you’re sad?” she asks. “FaceTime,” Harvey says. Though it’s meant to reassure her son, it’s clear that it’s also reassuring to Price. Her son grew up without any contact with his father, so he is solely her responsibility.
Harvey soon arrives at National Star in Cheltenham, and the Prices’ paths diverge. The film then zooms out to provide a more general overview of college life. We meet some of Harvey’s college friends as well as the knowledgeable staff who work tirelessly to empower the students. They devise novel ways to alleviate Harvey’s anxiety during medication time and are unfazed when he smashes a fridge at the college shop. His outbursts are frequently unexpected, making for uncomfortable viewing. However, the staff’s confidence as they deal with Harvey’s episodes is encouraging; perhaps his mother won’t have to come running to his rescue after all.
While the documentary focuses on Harvey’s development, we also get to see how his mother copes with the change. She says she’s looking forward to learning how to live without her son in the house. Unfortunately, her road to freedom is not without bumps; weeks after Harvey departs, she crashes her car and is arrested for driving while over the legal alcohol limit. During her stay at a judge-recommended mental health facility, she is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
This legal and emotional battle may be one of the reasons why this film appears to keep the audience at arm’s length. What Harvey Did Next is successful in showing the next steps in the Prices’ lives, but it lacks the personal commentary and additional context that made their storey shine before. Of course, with the show focusing on their lives becoming more separate, those sweet moments together are few and far between, which is a shame because these raw expressions of affection compensate for the film’s lack of depth elsewhere.
The documentary concludes with Harvey nearing the end of his first term, as the students watch a fireworks display. Harvey’s future appears bright as he improves his communication skills, as well as his tea-making and cake-baking abilities. Price’s next moves appear to be positive as well. She announces her intention to see a therapist once a week and admits that she needs to find less harmful ways to manage her stress. It will take time to reap the benefits of these decisions, but for Harvey’s sake and her own, you can only hope that she follows through.
