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DARK DAYS
Review by Alex Haberstroh
Director: Marc
Singer
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby 2.0
(English)
Video: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Studio: Palm Pictures
Features: See Review
Length: 114 minutes
Release Date: September 25, 2001
Film ****
Growing up in New York City (especially in the eighties,
when many mental institutions were shut down, sending thousands of unstable
patients out onto the streets), one quickly became accustomed to seeing (and
ignoring) the thousands of homeless men and women living on the streets.
As the homeless are often delusional through mental illness, or addicted
to drugs or alcohol, people preferred to avert their glances, and simply walk
on, rather than bother to face the problem.
Since it often takes someone who’s out of the proverbial
“box” to perceive problems and attempt to find solutions, perhaps it’s
easy to understand why it took someone English-born like Marc Singer to reach
out to the New York City homeless. Overhearing
one homeless friend complaining that he had had it with “life above,” Singer
eagerly listened to stories of communities of so-called “mole people,”
living underground in old railway tunnels between 72nd and 125th
streets.
Embarking on a quest to find such societies, Singer found a
community of makeshift shacks and shanties, surprisingly well constructed by the
resourceful itinerants. Finding
himself spending more and more time in the world below, after two months, when
one of his new friends jokingly suggested that someone should be “making a
film about this,” he attacked the project fervently, although he had never
filmed anything before.
The path that he would choose would be a tough one (and
explained through the “making of” on the disc, just as fascinating as the
actual film itself), leading the previously middle class first-time director to
the edge of poverty, and beyond (in the end he would sell all of his belongings
for money to purchase and develop film).
What he and his friends produced (many homeless not only
were stars of the film, but were also Singer’s crew, working with lighting,
sound, and even constructing elaborate things like giant dollies, so Singer
could move down the train tracks while filming) is probably one of the most
powerful and engrossing documentaries yet made. Shot in 16 millimeter, Dark
Days differs from the petty and septic documentaries that often fill the
genre. By becoming one of the
inhabitants of the tunnel (and destitute himself), Singer not only deals with
the many pains (and occasional triumphs) that his subjects feel, but he also
learns about them, so unlike most documentaries, which suffer from their
creators either pitying or deifying their subjects (from an outside
perspective), the film’s potency isn’t diminished by Singer’s judgments on
how is subjects live. Rather,
Singer’s camera is poised to capture what his subjects choose to do and
discuss, allowing a much more candid environment that added to the film’s
overall realism and interest.
To say that Singer’s documentary is eye opening would be
an understatement. Among the dank
tunnels, giant rats, and disease, Singer discovered a spark of humanity and
decided to capture it.
Singer’s subjects are often a far cry from the
stereotypical homeless above ground. While
some do occasionally run to the garbage containers above to get food, many often
cook meat or soup on stove units in their shanties.
Moreover, the inventive dwellers have frequently constructed their own
wooden homes, decorated with things found on the streets, some including
amenities we enjoy above, such as: refrigerators, lights, fans, and heaters, all
illegally feeding off the electricity from above (one man even installed a crude
kennel for his dog and her three puppies).
While the title is Dark
Days, the film is really about people pulling together when those days come.
In result, this is a stirring, and even at times, amusing, look at the
human perspective of the poor. I
eagerly await Mr. Singer’s second endeavor.
Video ***
Since that this was a documentary filmed in 16 mm, made
with an incredibly low budget, expectations were low for this transfer.
While the DVD is a more than a respectable reproduction (beyond a few
points where images seemed cropped on the top and bottom of the widescreen
transfer, due to how the film was converted from the 16 mm footage) of the
grainy footage, it is still a far cry from the silky smooth transfers many are
used to. Yet similar to productions
like The Blair Witch Project, this is
one of the best transfers you can get out of slightly limited source material.
Audio ***
Considering this film is basically the independent film of
independent films, in that it was produced for what many spend for their
automobiles, the sound is amazingly well done.
Included on the disc are both a Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 tracks.
Dialogue is crystal clear in this mostly center channel driven piece.
In addition, funneled through the surrounds, are tracks from DJ
Shadow’s shining album “Endtroducing.”
Brilliantly used, these music cues help to set or aid the mood at hand.
Supplements ****
Sporting quite a few supplements, this is a treasure trove for fans of the film. First is the “Making of Dark Days,” approximately forty-five minutes in length, and one of the better “making of’s.” Rather than the typical mutual backslapping, you instead get lengthy interviews with director Marc Singer, co-producer Ben Freedman, composer DJ Shadow, title designer Jaylo, as well as editor Melissa Neidich, discussing how they decided to get the film from point a to b.
After that, and strangely included under “disc setup,” is a director’s commentary with Marc Singer. While repeating some information from the “making of,” this is still a top-notch commentary told with enthusiasm, and including some valuable information about the relationships between the inhabitants as well as insight into their personal characters.
Fifteen additional scenes are included on the disc, each with linear notes explaining the scene by director Singer. After that is “Life After the Tunnel,” with detailed descriptions of what happened to the dozen homeless that participated in the documentary. Rounding out the disc are the film’s trailer, biographies, and finally, “The Tunnel,” which gives a brief history of the tunnel since its construction in the early 1800’s.
Summary:
A wonderful documentary that shows the inextinguishable power of the human spirit, this is a superb release from Palm Pictures, with a decent transfer and magnificent supplements. Unabashedly recommended.