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Dark Days (2000)

Dark Days (2000)
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Novice filmmaker Marc Singer lived in the bowels of a midtown Manhattan railway station for two years to shoot this harrowing account of the day-to-day existence of the homeless. Shot in noirish black and white, Singer shows how society's discarded and disenfranchised fashion a community of sorts in the sunless labyrinth of the station's transit tunnels. Though told without narration, a dozen or so individual stories emerge. Dee (the sole woman depicted in the film) lost all her children in a house fire while she was high on crack; Ralph remains inconsolable after his five-year old's rape and mutilation during a stint in prison. In the final reel, Amtrak sends in armed police to clean out the tunnels, citing health concerns. However, the subterranean tenets happen upon a stroke of luck, as an NYC social worker discovers a cache of previously unclaimed public housing. Featuring a sparse soundtrack by DJ Shadow, Dark Days won the Grand Jury prize for cinematography, the Freedom of Expression award, and an audience award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Director(s):
Marc Singer
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Dark Days

Novice filmmaker Marc Singer lived in the bowels of a midtown Manhattan railway station for two years to shoot this harrowing account of the day-to-day existence of the homeless. Shot in noirish black and white, Singer shows how society's discarded and disenfranchised fashion a community of sorts in the sunless labyrinth of the station's transit tunnels. Though told without narration, a dozen or so individual stories emerge. Dee (the sole woman depicted in the film) lost all her children in a house fire while she was high on crack; Ralph remains inconsolable after his five-year old's rape and mutilation during a stint in prison. In the final reel, Amtrak sends in armed police to clean out the tunnels, citing health concerns. However, the subterranean tenets happen upon a stroke of luck, as an NYC social worker discovers a cache of previously unclaimed public housing. Featuring a sparse soundtrack by DJ Shadow, Dark Days won the Grand Jury prize for cinematography, the Freedom of Expression award, and an audience award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
84 mins

Complete Cast of Dark Days


Director(s):
Marc Singer
Producer(s):
Marc Singer
Categories:
DocumentarySpecial Interest
Dark Days Awards:
  • 2000 - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Documentary
  • 2000 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Documentary
  • 2000 - Sundance Film Festival - Cinematography Award: Documentary
  • 2000 - Sundance Film Festival - Audience Award
  • 2000 - Sundance Film Festival - Freedom of Expression Award
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Member Reviews
 
Andrew T.

Singer's black and white documentary chronicles the on-the-edge lives of the poor dwelling in underground New York. A bare look at the silent population whose existence is largely mis-understood, ignored, and invisible. Hooray for Singer, sharing the lives of these folks, struggling to survive.

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Ken S.

Griping and thought provoking. If you are looking for action and glamour keep on going. If you want a glimpse of how the people at the bottom of our society live and how they are able to survive in a world that most of us want to ignore then you will want to see this movie. The people in this movie live minute by minute but feel as though they are lucky to be where they are. They are not homeless, they have a home. In dark dreary conditions they some how find a way to feel fortunate because they don’t have to deal with the outside world. This movie is about as realistic as it gets. I’m glad I saw this movie because is tells how these people got where they are, each one with their own personal tragedy. Somehow at the end of this movie you feel both sad and happy at the same time. I highly recommend this movie to anyone that wants to think not be mindlessly entertained.

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Gwen T.

Dark Days was very interesting but slow moving. I would love to know what happened to the few people they talked to when they left. How long did they stay in housing?

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