Dark Days By Marc Singer

Dark Days is unique in its approach to the social issue documentary style. Its differences are immediately apparent with its introduction. The film does not explain why the group in the film are living in the subway tunnels of New York City. Instead, director Marc Singer decides to show the audience what life is like in the tunnels through observing and interviewing a select group of homeless individuals. This decision opts out of the often-used expository mode and favors a more observational and sometimes poetic approach to discuss the issue of homelessness. In addition, Singer also uses a plethora of different models such as: advocacy, testimonial, and visual anthropology. The combination of these modes and models make Dark Days a unique film in the social issue documentary space. Undoubtedly, the most unique part of Dark Days is its poetic use of imagery, lending itself nicely to the visual anthropology model. Moreover, Singer combines interviews with shots of the surrounding environment that give weight to the words being spoken. Specifically, a section of the film discusses the rat problem. As the subjects discuss how they deal with the issue, Singer includes shots of rats scurrying around and

These three individuals stand out because they share their life stories that lead up to living in the tunnels. Furthermore, it is important to note Singer’s approach to interviews; he lets the subjects tell their own stories and discuss their experiences in the tunnel. The use of this technique dropped homeless stereotypes; it helped audiences see that homeless individuals are humans with problems, goals, and aspirations just like everyone else. Additionally, the film did not only show the bad parts, but it also showed compassion and perseverance despite the situation these individuals are