American Street Kid

Editor's Take

What begins as filmmaker Michael Leoni's attempt to document homeless youth in Los Angeles becomes something he cannot direct from a distance. As he is drawn into his subjects' lives, the film turns into an urgent, first-person record of young people surviving day to day. Its power lies in that loss of detachment, which puts recognizable faces to a crisis usually kept abstract.

Filmmaker Michael Leoni sets out to document the epidemic of homeless youth on the streets of Los Angeles, but soon finds he cannot remain a detached observer. As he enters their world, the film becomes an urgent, personal account of young people fighting for survival day to day. It puts human faces to a crisis too often ignored. Raw and deeply affecting, it is a powerful call to attention. Free to watch in HD on Dr Documentary.

Courtesy of Independent on YouTube. Watch on YouTube ↗

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