Redundant and unnecessary.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Streetwise, a documentary directed by Martin Bell, tells a story about a group of runaways living on the streets of downtown Seattle. This film follows the lives a few different runaways. Each has a distinct personality, story and method to survive on the streets. Streetwise was inspired by the LIFE magazine article, Streets of the Lost, written by Cheryl McCall and photographed by Mary Ellen Mark. The overall message of this movie is that the life of a runaway is tough and you have to be "streetwise" to make it on grungy Pike Street. Many of these runaways are no older than 16 years old and live on the streets because there is nowhere else for them to go. Broken homes, abusive parents and abandonment are lives that the runaways know too well and choose to leave in favor of the streets. I can't blame these kids. Of the two parents shown in the film, one was in jail and the other referred to her daughter being a prostitute as "just a phase."These runaways are quite resourceful. They sell anything they can get their hands on, including themselves, to make enough money to survive. The runaways have found an abandoned hotel to call their home and furnished the hotel with old couches and beds. When the runaways get hungry, they find food from dumpster diving, begging and even go as far as ordering an obscure pizza that will never be claimed and wait patiently until the pizzeria has thrown away the unwanted pie. The story that Bell tells is quite remarkable. He is able to accurately capture the lives of the runaways and provide great insight as to how these kids live, think and believe. In a particularly beautiful scene, Bell shows Erin, a runaway who makes her money turning tricks. Erin is in a medical clinic and a doctor is asking her what she would do if she became pregnant. Erin responds she would keep the baby, even if the father was "a trick," because getting an abortion is like murdering a baby and it is not the baby's fault if she gets pregnant.Not only are the stories of the street kids remarkable and moving, but the cinematography was beautiful as well. The movie has a great flow and Bell does an excellent job of pulling the viewers into the world of the runaways. While watching the film, you learn to understand the lives of the runaways. These runaways are nothing more than kids who have been dealt a bad hand, and even though they need help, they are too proud to ask. Streetwise makes you wonder how these kids can survive such a hard life at such a young age. These runaways try so hard convincing themselves and others that they are content with the lives that they live, but if you look into their eyes, you find that this is not the case at all. Streetwise also makes you see how truly rough the streets are. Seeing a 16 year old boy sell blood to make enough money to pay for lunch is truly troubling. This is almost as troubling as hearing that a 14 year old girl has been raped 8 times and still continues to be a prostitute. However, nothing is as tough as learning that 16 year old Dewayne committed suicide. These children are in really dire situations and are too young to be dealing with the problems that life has thrust upon them.This film beautifully portrays an important piece of history that is still relevant today. I would recommend Streetwise to anyone, even those who do not particularly like documentaries. There are no formal interviews in Streetwise and no narrator guiding you through the story like a History Channel special. Watching Streetwise is more like watching a feature length film than a documentary. This film is genuine and the stories these kids tell deserve to be heard. Watch Streetwise! You will not be disappointed.

when approaching a movie such as streetwise we should consider several objectives that might make it more reasonable to take in the info shown on screen. first of all we cant make an accurate judgment of a piece made 20 years and more ago using todays perspective.its a different political climate, cinematography has evolved and new phrases are constantly introduced into its on going changing semiology, and though most people understand whats going on using their own morals, for the kids in the movie its their own 15 minutes of fame regardless of universal notions. second of all everything on screen is somewhat fabricated to fit into the audience's eye. whats portrayed on screen has one source and a thousand interpretations. even if this movie is more fake than real, there has to be an agenda for making it. this movie didn't sprout out of nothing or nowhere. it depicts real life. yes them British folks making the movie used neck microphones, and there were voice-overs. questions if whether they mashed up reality in order to make a quick buck, or get recognition in the field of documentaries, or even as a service for social services. one of the options has probably a firm grasp into the truth. the outcome matters. if the movie made an impact, and you understood that people live like that, regardless to whether they were spotted in your own neighborhood, than the fabrication aspect was necessary. and thats all she wrote

This is one of those documentaries that gets passed over in the list of really noteworthy entries in the form over the past 30 years, but it's rather extraordinary. At the time, runaway kids weren't something new in the news, and homeless kids and urban strife were well known among cities like New York and Detroit and DC. But Bell took his perspective to Seattle- future of the grunge scene, which I'm sure sprung somewhat out of an atmosphere of despair such as this- and embedded himself with a collection of kids, some young as 9 and old as their early 20s, either by some harsh decision out on the streets away from their parents doing petty crimes or because they have no choice by the conditions of life with their respective parents (or lack thereof).Its structure of moving around loosely between several people isn't anything new (I'm reminded of the loose form of Vernon, Florida only with more purpose), and there's a slight sense now in 2008 of it being like an extended episode of MTV's True Life. But it's also like the best episode of the show never made, filmed in large part in a style that can only be compared to the Maysles, who don't even seem to be in the room or setting for most of the time getting these people as they are. And when there are certain moments or scenes that feel 'staged', it's only insomuch as the kids knew they were in a movie or the director may have asked them to say what happened here or there. Not a moment feels inauthentic, not once.And in this unsentimental but sympathetic portrait of these kids- some prostitutes like 14 year old Tiny or hard-bitten fighters Lulu or just without any home or drunk or absent or dead parents- interweaves actual stories with these kids as simple events, conversations, a dramatic bits like 'this is how we eat and shower' or 'I'm checking to see if I have an STD or am pregnant'. All of this is presented frankly enough, but it's when things are stripped away to stark truths that it becomes harrowing: 16 year-old Dewayne, who has tonsillitis and wants to go in the navy someday, visits his father in prison on a 30 year stretch, and the way the conversation goes- the way his father talks strong but lovingly- brought me to tears.Its a very direct portrait, and it doesn't judge them like "these kids are bad because...", because there's too much to already crush the audience to get into preachiness. It is what it is, and it has many unforgettable moments, even just a bit with an old bum playing the song 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' or a "playboy" watching Star Wars while trying to fit in with drying died black hair. It's so moving that I can only really point out one minor liability- ironic since it's the reason I sought out the movie in the first place- which is a lack of Tom Waits music; one might think he scores the entire movie, but only two songs are in the film. And yet when they come up, they're approximately heartbreaking and somber in that way Waits can only do. It's a small underground classic.

I was not in the movie but I was there I lived it. Me "Lil Kelly" and my sis Cheryl were joined together at the hip runnin hard. This was our life I didn't know that Roberta had even died until Gary Ridgeway was convicted and her name was read as one of his victims. I have a picture of Bert when we were down on first and pike I will always remember her that way young, blonde, beautiful and full of life. And Lulu how can anyone forget her! My first day downtown someone told me she was a girl not knowing any better I said quite loudly B.S. that's a dude! Well she overheard me ran up to me and lifted up her shirt and say's does this look like a man B**** Well she scared the hell outa me almost made me want to runaway back home!!LOL and Patty well she was a whole story in herself I remember her sitting on "her" garbage can down on Penny's Corner waiting for dates. And Dewayne my "lil man" he always wanted to run away with me and take care of me. Still to this day 20+ years later I cry what a sad tragedy! Why Baby why did you have to leave us like that??? There were people who loved you my "lil man" we did we all did we, us all of us the street kids your family. You have been greatly missed baby and thought of often. And Kim my sis who I wish Cheryl and I could find if anyone knows where she is please e-mail me! Kimmy you were in our lives for so many years the last time we saw you was about 13 years ago with Boxcar! Anyways anyone from block out there please write I always have wondered where everyone went or if there is anyone left. spanky77798860@yahoo.com Lil Kelly