DARK DAYS

     The documentary Dark Days by Mark Singer is by far my favorite documentary in how vividly it portrays life and struggle and the dark times faced by some unfortunate people. The British filmmaker brings you into the dark lives of about a dozen homeless people living in an abandoned underground railroad station stretching from Penn Station past Harlem, right in our very own neighborhood. The film is shot in 16mm black and white film. The choice of making the picture black and white is one of grand importance. Like the title itself states, its about the dark days of these people, living in the virtual blackness of the tunnel, not knowing when a white light will shine upon their lives. When tracking through the tunnel, following their paths throughout it, things are nearly impossible to see. The black and white film further emphasizes the viewers sense of vulnerability. Not knowing what lies in the darkness which surrounds them.
    One specific scene which stands out is the interview with the homeless woman. She speaks of the loss of her children in  a fire while she was in jail. The interview is of a mid-shot with low-key lighting. Only half of her face is viewable, the other side remains in the darkness. Her distress and sorrow is evident and the darkness adds to the effect of her grief. A sympathetic viewer is then brought back from a black out to the image of her smoking from a crack pipe. There are various extreme close-ups on the pipe, her inhaling, puffing it out and getting high, trying to balance out her lows.
    It clear this is a dark time in her life. Consistently throughout the film, through the use of lighting, close-ups on crack, rats, garbage which they call food and the black and white film, we see just how black and white these peoples lives are truly. Singer successfully portrays this from the beginning until the end of the picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxg6OQq0jE&feature=related