If you think the homeless have it made because they don't pay taxes or have to work for a living, think again. Truth is, many a derelict -- as with the few subjects featured in the film -- yearns to re-join the workaday and the very system that has, if only indirectly, seen to each their downfall.
Suffice it to say, this is not your typical documentary about homeless people. Whereas the downtown-set "Streetwise" and the subterranean "Dark Days" (to name but two examples) both take an unflinching look at this particular social issue (and make for rather depressing viewing experiences), IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE, on the other hand, presents a lighter side of homelessness, one far less gritty and disturbing, and as such is what makes it rise above the others.
Personally, what I found most fascinating to learn with regard to the heroines profiled in the film is how many, if not all, of them were once part of the cushy (and out-of-touch with the commoner) bourgeoisie. Just when you thought only those of low-income are at risk of eating out of garbage cans, along comes a former businesswoman, or law student, or schoolteacher, or pharmacist, or real estate agent to tell otherwise.
Watching this, I couldn't help wonder what causes factored in that led to these middle-classists falling so hard. One hears stories about women foolishly squandering their life savings, as victims of scams or slot machines, and who as a result end up as bag ladies. IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE shows that simply being laid off from a job, or being divorced, can be all that it takes for a woman to find herself living out of her jalopy.
Another false notion many people no doubt have of the homeless -- and shown in this to be a stereotype -- has it that such ones are unclean and have low self-esteem. For lovely, upbeat spirits like the presentably dressed Josephine, nothing could be farther from the truth. Here are women who, true, may not go so far as to say poverty is a virtue, but who continue to take pride in themselves and in their appearance, and whose dignity and self-respect remains intact. It could be said that what they lack in 'net worth' is made up for in priceless soulfulness/human character. Contrary to what the Beatitudes would have us believe, sure, they may not feel blessed, but neither are they nihilistic, nor do they appear all that embarrassed or ashamed of their circumstances.
Sad that there are actually people in society who regard the indigent as subhuman and who idiotically label as slothful those who whether by foot, clunker, or cardboard box struggle on a strictly survivalist level. Such skewed notions find no place in this affecting and indelible gem of a film.
Incidentally, worth mentioning in closing is that I'm presently reading Marjorie Bard's classic study, "Shadow Women." 'Tis a book, no, not about 'bums' and unhygienic boozers in rags, but about the self-dependent woman who, often through no fault of her own, has hit rock bottom, yet who through admirable inner resources manages to keep going; she who does not beg or seek handouts -- who goes about her day inconspicuously, blending in with those of us caught up in the rat race/hamster wheel. Ms. Bard makes a brief appearance in this and her book a fine companion to the documentary.
Suffice it to say, this is not your typical documentary about homeless people. Whereas the downtown-set "Streetwise" and the subterranean "Dark Days" (to name but two examples) both take an unflinching look at this particular social issue (and make for rather depressing viewing experiences), IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE, on the other hand, presents a lighter side of homelessness, one far less gritty and disturbing, and as such is what makes it rise above the others.
Personally, what I found most fascinating to learn with regard to the heroines profiled in the film is how many, if not all, of them were once part of the cushy (and out-of-touch with the commoner) bourgeoisie. Just when you thought only those of low-income are at risk of eating out of garbage cans, along comes a former businesswoman, or law student, or schoolteacher, or pharmacist, or real estate agent to tell otherwise.
Watching this, I couldn't help wonder what causes factored in that led to these middle-classists falling so hard. One hears stories about women foolishly squandering their life savings, as victims of scams or slot machines, and who as a result end up as bag ladies. IT WAS A WONDERFUL LIFE shows that simply being laid off from a job, or being divorced, can be all that it takes for a woman to find herself living out of her jalopy.
Another false notion many people no doubt have of the homeless -- and shown in this to be a stereotype -- has it that such ones are unclean and have low self-esteem. For lovely, upbeat spirits like the presentably dressed Josephine, nothing could be farther from the truth. Here are women who, true, may not go so far as to say poverty is a virtue, but who continue to take pride in themselves and in their appearance, and whose dignity and self-respect remains intact. It could be said that what they lack in 'net worth' is made up for in priceless soulfulness/human character. Contrary to what the Beatitudes would have us believe, sure, they may not feel blessed, but neither are they nihilistic, nor do they appear all that embarrassed or ashamed of their circumstances.
Sad that there are actually people in society who regard the indigent as subhuman and who idiotically label as slothful those who whether by foot, clunker, or cardboard box struggle on a strictly survivalist level. Such skewed notions find no place in this affecting and indelible gem of a film.
Incidentally, worth mentioning in closing is that I'm presently reading Marjorie Bard's classic study, "Shadow Women." 'Tis a book, no, not about 'bums' and unhygienic boozers in rags, but about the self-dependent woman who, often through no fault of her own, has hit rock bottom, yet who through admirable inner resources manages to keep going; she who does not beg or seek handouts -- who goes about her day inconspicuously, blending in with those of us caught up in the rat race/hamster wheel. Ms. Bard makes a brief appearance in this and her book a fine companion to the documentary.