I saw an amazing documentary the other night as part of the Victoria Film Festival. It is called Carts of Darkness and is directed by Murray Siple. You can see a trailer for the film, as well as some photos and other information, at his website.
For the film Murray follows some bottle pickers around North Vancouver to gain insight into their lifestyles and situations. The main character is a man named Al who, for all intents and purposes, seems like a relatively well-rounded and decent guy. He can’t get a good job because he has a criminal history so instead he collects and recycles bottles every morning and for sport he races shopping carts. In many ways Al’s lifestyle seems so free and wonderful. He makes enough money recycling to feed and clothe himself and has enough time each day to practice riding carts down hills like the Mountain Highway. The rush he gets from it seems heavenly. The underside is that he lives in the bushes, has no connection to his family, and lives under constant scrutiny from society. But somehow he seemed to maintain an air of positivity that really struck me. To have so little yet to focus on how much you have by comparison is a rare gift in life.
There is another man in the film who is a chronic alcoholic and suffers from nerve damage in his arm after falling on some rocks and breaking a sherry bottle in his sleeve. His is a much sadder story. His days are definitely numbered. Toward the end of the film his disability cheque comes through and he is able to rent an apartment for himself. The emptiness of the room is oppressive as the camera watches him go to sleep using his socks as a pillow. One wants to hope for the best for him — that he’ll get some furniture, get it together a bit, and maybe even find some comfort — but we learned in the Q&A after the film that he only lasted three weeks in the apartment before he left to go live by the river again. He just can’t be functional in society any more.
Another story line follows an artist who decided a few years back that he didn’t want to be part of the work force anymore. He says that we shouldn’t have to be prisoners of the economic system that structures our society. He picks bottles to make money for food and to help the environment but otherwise spends his time tending to his garden and working on his art. He grows the most beautiful flowers and plants and gives them away to the people in his community in exchange for their kindness towards him as he goes through their blue bins. I often think about doing something similar. Just imagine — to be able to break free and spend your time giving back to your community and working on artistic ventures, or whatever else floats your boat. If I were independently wealthy, I would still do exactly what I’m doing. It would just be nice to not need to do it for survival.
One of the most interesting story lines in the film is that the director, who used to be a snowboarder and made snowboarding films, is in a wheelchair after having had a car accident about 10 years ago. So much of the story is about the connection that builds between these men and about realizing that you never really know someone’s story until you’ve given them some time and an open heart. That someone picking bottles out of your recycling bin is not necessarily a drug addict. And that someone in a wheelchair is not necessarily as limited as you may think. If you get a chance to see Carts of Darkness I really recommend it. It got under my skin and challenged the way I think about homelessness, work, economics, disability, freedom, kindness, and understanding.
