As for the technical aspects of the film, while this subject does not lend itself to conventional cinema, it is rather well-suited to the documentary genre. The entire length of the film is shot in black-and-white 16mm film, giving it the film-noir look and feel that was seen in the 1930s and 1940s. The darkness pervading the railway tunnel and the poverty and squalor of living conditions there further adds to the noir effect. The fact that some of the characters in the film did occassionally handle the camera adds authenticity without making it amatuerish.
And finally, the film ends on a positive note when the featured characters get temporary government subsidized accomodation. Statistics pertaining to the last few years have also shown a reduction in the number of homeless people in the United States. For example, close to 1.6 million people were forced to make use of emergency shelters and temporary housing at certain times in the last couple of years. But the good news is that during the same period the number of chronically homeless fell 28 percent. Furthermore,
“Looking first at a snapshot, the report found that the number of people on the street or in a shelter on a single night in January 2007 was 671,888, a drop from 759,101 in January 2006 and 763,010 in January 2005. Most were temporarily homeless. The report found there were 123,833 chronically homeless people in shelters and on the street on that single night in January 2007, compared with 155,623 in 2006 and 175,914 in 2005 – a decrease of about 52,000 between 2005 and 2007.” (Fagan, July 30, 2008, p.3)
These are positive developments indeed and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has to be commended for bringing about this improvement. But still, seen in absolute terms, the number of temporary and chronically homeless continues to be worrisome. With the onset of economic recession last year, people in the low socio-economic demographic group have become more vulnerable than before. Considering that many families lost their homes in the recent mortgage crisis, a better regulated financial market system is also the need of the hour. A concerted effort on part of related government agencies, elected representatives and not-for-profit organizations is essential to bring a lasting solution to the issue of homelessness.
Secondary Sources Perused:
Burt, Martha R. “Chronic Homelessness: Emergence of a Public Policy.” Fordham Urban Law Journal 30.3 (2003): 1267+.
Leighninger, Robert. “Cynthia J. Bogard, Seasons Such as These: How Homelessness Took Shape in America.” Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 31.4 (2004): 219+.
Lookingbill, Brad D. “Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America.” The Historian 67.2 (2005): 314+.
Fagan, Amy, “U.S. Homelessness on Decline; HUD Reports 30 Percent Fall from ’05 to ’07.” The Washington Times 30 July 2008: A03.