Dark Days

 What was the lowest point of your life?

    Heavy shadows color Dark Days. Filmed in black and white, the weak lights that fight back the oppressive darkness set the mood of this bleak film. There are many scenes that are a wide shot of someone, alone, sitting quietly. I find that these scenes stick out the most to me. If I were to make a poster for the film, I would definitely use that. 

    With that being said, the film is truly defined by the people.

Ralph, Tommy, Dee, Henry,

and a few more make the crux of the documentary. 

    We see their lives, top to bottom, and the struggles that come with it. We see how they acquire, store and cook food. We see them build houses, clean them, and the dangers of living down there. Dee's house was burned down because of a spat she had with someone.

    The lives of these people are marred by tragedy and regret. most of them went to prison for years, and in the case of Ralph, his daughter was murdered while he was in jail. His sheer emptiness as he talks about this burden along with others is shocking. However, Dee's story really got to me.

    It is unclear as to how exactly she ended up in the underground. She had served time and is addicted to crack, that is about all we know. That does not matter, though as her reflection was heart-breaking. 

    She recants on how her sons died in a house fire while she was in jail. She breaks down as the weight of her guilt washes over her and says, 

"I missed the responsibility of being a mother".

That killed me. 

    It is good then, that the film ends on a sweet note. Ralph, Dee, and Henry have a place together, (after being forcefully evicted by armed police mind you), and Ralph simply says that he will never be homeless again. That certainly mends a bit of my torn heart after watching this.

Authors note: I am not actually dead.