Carts of Darkness

Their lifestyle choices aren't always the best, but the doc does it's best at humanising them and their whacky way of life. From start to finish it's just great times.

Seems like a silly idea, racing a shopping cart down a mountain road without any safety equipment. Turns out, it's an entire subculture with depth, joy, and tragedy. These are not just passers by floating on randomly, they are men trying to make sense of the world and enjoy life. Highly recommend this film!

This hour-long documentary introduces us to several homeless men in North Vancouver who collect bottles for recycling, and who like to race shopping carts. Yes, it sounds bizarre because it -is- bizarre to see a grown man riding the back of a shopping cart down a steep hill at 50 mph. It's bizarre, sad, funny, dangerous, and fascinating. The "star" is a big bearded ginger bear who goes by Big Al. He's probably in his late (?) 30s, and lives in the woods in a tent. He collects recyclable bottles from homeowners' blue recycle bins, takes them to the recycle center, then sorts and turns them in for cash. After he has a little money in his pocket he'll steal a shopping cart and ride it down a steep hill for an adrenaline rush. Early in the film Big Al turns himself in to spend 10 months in jail for an unspecified crime, Once he's out he's ready to make up for lost time. We're also introduced to Fergie. He's a 49 year old homeless alcoholic who lives in the woods. He's got a couple of kids he never sees and has apparently lived a very hard life. The guys are all very likable, I just wish I had a better sense of how they got to be in their current situations.