Pubdate: Sat, 17 Jun 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Chris Knight
Page: E7

A HARD CLIMB

Documentary Gives Clear-eyed, Non-judgmental View Of Tough Life

"Where's the happy ending? It's a good day. There's no good ending.
The ending's when you're dead." So says Marty, one of a number of
residents and workers interviewed at the Regent Park Community Health
Centre in the east-of-downtown Toronto neighbourhood for this
documentary.

He's discussing the difficulties of recovering from addiction,
something everyone in the film is dealing with to one degree or
another. "Relapse is a part of recovery," says Roxanne, a former
addict and sex-trade worker. "I just don't want it to be a part of
mine."

First-time feature director Hugh Gibson spent five years following his
subjects for this remarkably clear-eyed and non-judgmental story. Yet
he has whittled down what must have been hundreds of hours of footage
into a concise 96 minutes that nonetheless gives us the precise
details we need to get to know these struggling souls.

There's Greg, a mixed-race man who struggles with sometimes wanting to
be black or white, not both. He's probably the most at-risk subject in
the film, trying to pursue a lawsuit against the police for beating
him up a few years ago, but often too strung out on crack to make
necessary court appearances. Yet for all that, you never feel anything
but sympathy for the man. As Marty points out, it's a years-long
journey to go clean, and few people have the stamina.

Gibson wisely keeps his focus narrow - there are no police
spokespeople and no addiction experts, except those whose expertise
comes from experience. Trying to help one woman get off drugs, Roxanne
notes that there will always be temptation: "I still have those days."

And Marty swears by his marijuana, a low-cost, long-lasting high, as a
way to cut down on crack. Apparently, some gateway drugs actually help
you close a gate.

There is demolition and new construction going on throughout the film,
as Regent Park undergoes revitalization. But again, Gibson's subject
matter is the people on the ground. And it's instructive to note that
no one ever makes a speech about helping out or giving back to the
community. That's a given.
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MAP posted-by: Matt