Calgary International Film Festival Coverage `08

Film: Carts of Darkness

Documentary

Directed By: Murray Siple

When: September 24, 2008

Reviewed by: Amanda Waschuk (Calgary Correspondent – Canada)

Faced with paralysis after a tragic car accident, snowboard filmmaker Murray Siple was desperate to overcome his handicaps and create a new movie.  Carts Of Darkness presented itself on one of Siple’s routine grocery runs as he chatted with a couple of the neighborhood’s homeless.  These outcasts gave Siple that familiar feeling of being a rebel snowboarder and he created a bond that opened him into their world.

Society views the homeless as desperate and unable to function normally; in a way, similar to how we view a person with handicaps.  But looking deeper into the world of these North Vancouver rebels you can see that they’re anything but.  Making as much as $70 dollars a day off bottle collecting while simultaneously helping the environment, these people work shorter days and are clearly happy with their lifestyle.

For these men in specific, their lifestyle included the extreme sport of shopping carting down the big hills located in the neighborhood.  Seeing as none of them have a vehicle, this is the ideal way for them to go around collecting bottles while having a little fun along the way. 

In the film, we see each character presenting their own quirky personality with a confidence that many “normal” people lack.  Very inspirational, this film teaches us to appreciate the things we have while also realizing that you don’t need a lot to be happy just a little thrill here and there.