Archive for the 'Homeless' Category

Dark Days

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 21, 2008
in Documentary, Drugs, Homeless, Independent and New York
. 2 Comments

I heard about this movie a few years ago and added it to my Netflix list.  Had almost forgotten about it, but just watch it through the “on demand” feature.  Dark Days is a documentary about squatters living in the Amtrak tunnels near Penn Station in New York City.  Marc Singer, the director and creator of this film, decides to go live with them and film their stories.

A lot of the people living down there are or where crack addicts.  Some of them have realized what it’s doing to them though and have kicked the habit.   They actually weren’t living too poorly down there.  They had built pretty sturdy one-room houses with scrap lumber and other materials.  They had electricity, lamps, TVs, beds, couches, hot plates, etc.  Most of them scavenged for things people threw out in the trash to re-sell.  Some of them had even been living down there for 20 years.

Eventually Amtrak had enough or found out about it.  During the filming they gave the residents a 30 day eviction notice.  A group of advocates for homeless people were going to try and fight for the squatters’ rights to live there, but, in cooperation with the government, they were able to provide housing for these people and help them find jobs.

I’ve always heard horror stories about handouts and everybody’s hear about “the projects.”  I think these people were different though.  They were so grateful for what they were given.  There was some footage at the end of these people in their new apartments and they were some of the cleanest, neatest places I’ve seen in a long time.  I think some good was done here.  It seems like Singer was able to bring some attention to and get help for this underground community.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Into the Wild

Published
by
Chalupa
on November 4, 2007
in Adventure, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a true story, Biography, Coming of age, Drama, Homeless, Loneliness and Road Trip
. 3 Comments

If you haven’t already read the book this movie is based on, then you should probably go pick it up at your local library. I myself haven’t read it yet, but my wife does own it and has been on me to read it for a couple years. I consider myself lucky to have seen the movie.

Emile Hirsch portrays Christopher McCandless, a recent college graduate who is dissatisfied with society and the business people fall into. He wants to experience nature and live off the land. He doesn’t want to be tied down by a job, money or useless laws and regulations. He wants to live a simple life and enjoy the beauty that can’t be found in bustling metropolises or busy cities. He wants to head North to Alaska where there are mountains, rivers and endless sky. This is a true story that includes many people that encountered Christopher, or Alexander Supertramp as he liked to call himself.

McCandless came from a less than perfect home. A home that can all too easily be summed up partially be Wes Anderson’s commentary on the American family, The Royal Tenenbaums. Christopher wanted to get out and see the world. In a way, maybe he left his family to get back at them. He greatly affected a great number of people he met on his way and befriended everyone in an uncanny Dude-like manner that the Coen’s created in their film, The Big Lebowski. On the other hand, there were also people he hurt like his sister that was abandoned along with his parents.

Throughout the movie though, we see “Alex” hitching rides from town to town, getting jobs to pay for what he needed, and even kayaking from Colorado to Mexico. He did all of this before the age of 25. That seems pretty amazing to me because I’m 26 and I can’t say I’ve accomplished many of those things.

To expound on his Dude-like qualities, I was really amazed how no one was too old, young or culturally different from McCandless to be his friend. Chris was always able to relate to people and be their friend. I think deep down inside everybody feels this way. Everybody wants to be liked. Everybody wants to have friends and be somebody’s friend. However, for some reason, declaring, “I want to befriend everyone I meet” just doesn’t sound very manly or macho. What’s wrong with that? I think it has something to do with being tough, showing emotion and making yourself vulnerable.

I highly recommend this movie and the book, even though I have yet to read it myself. One thing my wife mentioned after the movie was she wished they had shown some of the effects on people Chris had met after they learned of his death. She said everybody took it pretty hard. So I guess if you loved the movie, there’s some motivation to pick up the book and give it a read.