As the Vancouver Olympics wind down and Art Threat’s coverage of the Games continues with pictures, video and writing on the happenings of those exploring ways to resist the corporate orgy with art and culture, we bring you a Friday Film Pick that celebrates a sport you’ll never find included in the Olympic roster.
Carts of Darkness is a fantastic NFB documentary by Murray Siple that follows homeless men in North Vancouver as they survive on collecting recyclables and as they thrive in their self-made sport of shopping cart racing. The men find joy in the adrenaline of reaching dangerous speeds racing down the steep slopes of the North Vans streets. From the film’s site:
In the picture-postcard community of North Vancouver, filmmaker Murray Siple follows men who have turned bottle-picking, their primary source of income, into the extreme sport of shopping cart racing. Enduring hardships from everyday life on the streets of Vancouver, this sub-culture depicts street life as much more than stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media. The films takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face, and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk.
You can watch the film in its entirety above. Enjoy!
Subscribe to Art Threat via RSS
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this film. Every time I grab a cart at the grocery store, I'm reminded of this film and am tempted to shove off and glide down the parking lot. (And I wouldn't be honest if I claimed to never actually do it.)
I saw this film about a year ago. It is profoundly moving. One of the best explorations of life on the streets one is ever likely to see. Also, it's not one of those documentaries that makes you feel like you're eating a whole bunch of oats just because it's good for you. It is very entertaining too, largely because the people who inhabit this film are so engaging and funny and exciting.
uh…Im about 10 minutes into the film and am pretty disgusted.
|These idiots are endangering EVERYONE by their "sport"…which isnt a sport at all…its drunk assholes flying down the highway in a shopping cart. When a little kid or family of 5 dies cause of their dumb drunk shit how cool will that be?
Hmmm…homeless men causing deaths by shopping cart versus deaths of homeless men and women caused by police, apathy, ignorance, gentrification, poor governance, etc, etc: I'd say the latter actually has some high figures where the former is most likely at zero.