In order to better understand Homelessness and the impact it has, here is a list of some movies you can watch:
Movies/Documentaries
“Under the Bridge: the Criminalization of Homelessness” 2017 By the production team A Bigger Vision, Under The Bridge: Criminalization of Homelessness is a documentary film about one summer in Indianapolis, a tent city under a bridge, and the criminalization of homelessness in the United States.
“Storied Streets” 2015 Storied Streets explores homelessness across America by telling the stories of those who live it every day.
“Have You Seen Clem: A True Story… Sorta” 2005 Jaymo, an aspiring filmmaker, suddenly finds himself homeless and living out of his car. Desperate to find a way out, he begins shooting a documentary about the overlooked homeless people in this sharply divided society. When he stumbles across a mysterious bum named Clem, Jaymo realizes that every homeless person has a cart full of secrets and a unique story of personal collapse to tell. Together they embark on a cross-country road trip meeting a cross section of forgotten homeless people that struggle to live on and find contentment on the streets of America.
“Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story,” 2006. At 15, Liz Murray finds herself living on the streets after her mentally ill, drug addicted parents falter in their attempts to keep their family together. Instead of crumpling, the troubled teen clings to hope and determination, and works her way up out of homelessness all the way to Harvard University. This three time Emmy nominated film is based on an incredible true story.
“Pursuit of Happyness,” 2006. This film is a good tour-de-force showcase for Will Smith, who convincingly portrays a down-and-out dad trying to better his family’s life. A chain of circumstances left Gardner jobless and homeless at age 30, and he found himself and his son living a bathroom at a San Francisco train station. Despite the negative situation, Gardner continued to fight toward his goal of becoming a broker and would eventually become a self-made millionaire.
“The Soloist,” 2009. In 2005, LA Times columnist Steve discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a mentally ill, homeless street musician who possess extraordinary talent, even through his half broken instruments. Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about Ayers and attempts to do more to help both him and the rest of the underclass of LA have a better life. However, Lopez’s good intentions run headlong in the hard realities of the strength of Ayers’ personal demons and the larger social injustices facing the homeless.
“The Blind Side,” 2009 Based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African American male, Michael “Big Mike” Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship.
“Time Out of Mind,” 2015 Richard Gere, starring as George, plays a homeless man in Manhattan, New York. He seeks refuge at Bellevue Hospital, an intake center for homeless men, where his friendship with a fellow client helps him try to repair the relationship with his estranged daughter.
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