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Streetwise poster

Streetwise

Documentary
1984, 1h 31min
Taking their camera to the streets of what was supposedly America’s most livable city, filmmaker Martin Bell, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, and journalist Cheryl McCall set out to tell the stories of those society had left behind: homeless and runaway teenagers living on the city’s margins. Born from a “Life” magazine exposé by Mark and McCall, “Streetwise” follows an unforgettable group of at-risk children—including iron-willed fourteen-year-old Tiny, who would become the project’s most haunting and enduring face, along with the pugnacious yet resourceful Rat and the affable drifter DeWayne—who, driven from their broken homes, survive by hustling, panhandling, and dumpster diving. Granted remarkable access to their world, the filmmakers craft a devastatingly frank, nonjudgmental portrait of lost youth growing up far too soon in a world that has failed them.
Country: United States

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IMDb rating 8.2

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Streetwise takes a candid look at the lives of nine teenagers living on the streets of Seattle, struggling to survive amidst poverty, drugs, and prostitution. The film follows their daily struggles and captures their raw emotions, revealing the harsh realities they face and their resilience in the face of adversity. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers paint a powerful and nonjudgmental portrait of lost youth, depicting a world that has failed them. The documentary features Tiny, a 14-year-old prostitute with a tough exterior but a vulnerable soul, unforgettably capturing her story and those of her friends Rat, Shellie, DeWayne and others. Streetwise is a gut-wrenching expose of society's failures and a testament to the human spirit.

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Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Streetwise include The Hollywood Collection: Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend, Battle for Dien Bien Phu, Elvis '56, The Times of Harvey Milk, Tokyo-Ga, Jane B. by Agnès V..

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