Carts of Darkness
Director in attendance for a "Question & Answer" after the film.
UBC (Vancouver)
Tuesday October 7, 2008
Screening begins 19h00
Venue: Norm Theatre, SUB
Murray Siple/Canada/2008/59 mins
In Carts of Darkness the treacherous mountain roads and discarded shopping carts of North Vancouver become the rivers and boats of self-exploration for a group of homeless ‘free birds’ who have few chances at joy. Carts of Darkness is a cinematic Trojan horse, utilizing a filmic vocabulary, visual flair and humor often missing from “message” films, as a way to bring viewers, especially young ones, to the issues. The film adopts the tropes of extreme sports filmmaking; fluid flowing cinematography, intense music, visceral pulse pounding action and irreverent characters unbounded by society’s constrictions, to bring viewers deep into a world and deep into people they would normally look away from. They'll come for the carts and the crashes, the booze and the bruises, but they'll stay for the story of a unique brotherhood and a quiet redemption. - Jonathan Orr
It is a story of the endurance and resourcefulness of a group of homeless men and a filmmaker trying to keep up, while overcoming perceptions around disability.
Shot in stunning high-definition, and featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd, of Little Sparta, Carts Of Darkness captures the risk and intensity of life lived on the very edge.
The National Post
"One of 10 Most Promising Picks at Hot Docs"
CBC Sunday News (video interview with Murray Siple)
"Never mind snowboarding..."
Beyond Robson
"An insightful exploration of the human condition."
The Vancouver Sun
"It's simply incredible…it makes the previous big screen shot of extreme grocery cart action - as seen in Jackass - look positively amateur."
A 'n' E Vibe
"Siple's filmic resurrection is a refreshing parody of the self-important extreme sports genre, and at the same time it stands up as an important piece of social commentary."
RowThree.com
"The subconscious message under the surface is enough to make you cheer."
Rabble.ca
"Cart driving is, in a word, intoxicating."
Showcase.ca
"This isn’t one of those homeless-guys-are-just-like-us exercises in upper-middle class guilt trips. As it turns out, these guys are nothing like us."
