Another day, another amazing documentary. Yesterday's film made it to my Top 5 list, and today's is my new #1. Good week.
'Dark Days' follows a group of homeless men and women who've decided, for various reasons, to live underground in NYC's abandoned subway stations. They construct shanties out of found materials, basically putting together mini-apartments deep in the heart of the NYC subway system. Some live alone, some with a friend or partner, most with pets of some kind. They spend their time collecting cans, sorting through garbage for things to sell, or scavenging for food.
What I learned: I've never seen a film follow homeless people so closely and consistently before. You follow 4 or 5 of the same people throughout their day. The film does a good job of portraying all dimensions of living the life of a nomadic vagabond. We see how they shower and cook their food, but we also see them relaxing, sleeping in and idly chatting with their friends. It's a tough life, for sure, but the film includes a lot of lighter sides too.
They are homeless for a lot of different reasons. Some were kicked out of their homes, some had crippling drug addictions and others have mental disorders. Most of them had been living on the streets when they found out about the underground tunnels that provided warmth, free electricity and a place to keep their possessions.
What really shook me was how genial most of them seemed. I guess after 10 years of being homeless, you'd be less down in the dumps about it. Half the film seemed to be of them laughing or goofing around with their friends. Very few scenes were angry or negative- the only argument was between two roommates about not leaving food out for the rats to find. If I were in their shoes I'd be despondent with sorrow all day, every day. I guess it's amazing what kinds of lives you can get used to.
What I liked: Man...so much. For one, it's not preachy. There are no heavy handed lectures from the filmmaker about the need to wipe out homelessness, or the usual pointing of fingers to the culprits of poverty such as the police or our society's selfish nature. In fact, the film lacks both a narrator and a narrative, relying instead on a simple progression of interrelated segments. This allows the film to flow naturally from one scene to the next, with shots of mice running through the streets or water dripping from an errant faucet as segues.
You do feel the filmmaker's presence, even if it's not through heavy-handed commentary. Marc Singer is a not just the filmmaker, he's a member of the underground community: after stumbling upon the subterranean population he decided to live among them. He was so interested in their story he decided to make a film about it, in part to share the story but also as an excuse to get to know some of the eccentric characters that shared the space with him. His interest and respect for his subjects comes through in the film. Unlike some of the films I've watched, he's not exploiting his subject, or projecting his own views through heavily edited footage.
Finally, and maybe what I appreciated the most, the film was just done really well. It's always pivotal to have strong content, interesting subjects, and enough themes to give the audience something to discuss, but if you're movie's effing boring, then no one's gonna make it past the first 30 minutes. The film is shot with a lot of....well, I guess the only word that fits is patience. There are long, meandering shots of the overcast NY sky or bustling traffic, while minimal music plays in the background. Interviews with subjects were rare. This fits the feel of the film so perfectly; none of these people have anywhere to be, or anything waiting to get done. They experience a deeper sense of freedom than most of us will ever know. Most of the shots were more vicarious; watching silently as they went about their day or talked with their friends.
What I didn't like: I hate to say it, but I'm dying to know what happened to these people. At the end of the film, the city has kicked them out of the subway station and has put them in govt.-owned apartment complexes. Seems like the perfect ending right? Well, what happens to the ones who were addicted to hard drugs? None of them had jobs, so how are they taking care of themselves? How are they adjusting? I know if I were to find out, some wouldn't be doing well, and it'd just bum me out. But I grew so invested in their lives I guess I want to know.
Homeless is a big problem. It's a social issue that just does not compute for me. I can understand violence and war before I can understand how we still have homeless and destitute poverty in this country. I can't fathom how an entire society can continue to turn a blind eye to an entire group of people crying out for help. But the way to fix it won't be by pitying them, or by throwing money at them either. It's going to be through developing a sense of understanding and empathy, and this film does just that.
The film can be found on Netflix instant.
Here's the trailer:
And here's one of my favorite scenes. Two guys discuss their long history of pets:
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