Dark Days Guided Reflection

    The documentary that I chose to watch was Dark Days, directed by Mar Singer in 2000, and I don't think I have ever been more engaged with a documentary in my life. I wasn't brought into the richest family, but we did live comfortably in the low to middle class. The men and women that lived in this abandoned tunnel had to be innovated and street smart in oder to live in the kind of conditions that they live in. Setting a trip wire to pans to make an alarm system, nailing and tying pieces of wood, metal, and fabrics to create huts, selling items on the street, and scavenging in dumpsters for useful items are only some of the ways that these people survive down in the deep dark.

    what mostly caught me off guard is how there is an actual community that if formed in this tunnel. It's as if someone took a community, stripped it of its resources, and stuck them in a hole where they would try to survive. Being in this survival situation, forming a community to aid one another is a key factor in survival, which made me think about how our community would be affected if we didn't have each other, how much more difficult it would be to survive.

    The scene that got to me the most is when Ralph explains why he is living in the tunnel. Ralph was a heavy coke addict that caused him to be kicked out off the house by his wife when he chose drugs over her. later we would hear about what happened to his daughter, that she was raped and murdered, and how this news had a sociological affect on him while serving time in prison. This scene nearly made me cry, because I could not imagine how Ralph must have felt when he has given this information. The scene shows how negatively addictions to drugs can affect peoples lives, and forces them to become homeless in order to feed their addictions. I highly recommend if you have the time to watch this documentary in order to see these peoples stories for yourself.