homeless-bottle-pickersMurray Siple’s feature-length documentary follows a group of homeless men in Canada who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver. This subculture depicts street life as much more than the stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media. The film takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk. Shot in high-definition and featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd of Little Sparta. I think ok, this sport is risky, but probably it’s still better then just drinking alcohol all day long. Maybe just a matter of time until Red Bull comes and sponsors one of them 😉

Carts of Darkness

Murray Siple, 2008, 59 min 27 s

Thanks a lot to Laurence from nfb.ca who recommendet this film to me!

24 COMMENTS

  1. I am inspired by this film’s brilliance in story telling about these lives Carts of Darkness Murray Stiple gives a more meaningful insight with perspective more than his own experience the guys he befriends they look out for one another in some senses what they are doing this are decent men human beings and have challenges in society also in another sense have freedom from the trappings of society and expectations placed on them.Mainly that their lives account for something more than mainstream society can say in present times this is the way to live as they are causing society no harm and cleaning up the environment even cooking for one another.It made me laugh and cry the audacity of it and the parallels of freedom and that people can experience in experiencing loss and changes in life.There was one spot in the film where the elderly bottle collector uses his earnings to buy and care for plants and what he says about riches.It is true you are fortunate you have friends that are with you through good and bad times. I have struggled with challenges and disability(dis ABILITY) issues with advocacy this film is an eye opener it is exciting and scary at the same time and an excellent film about humanity.We learn from their stories in our changing society.

  2. Awesome. You see them around but you never get into their world like this. Not a lot different from you and me heh? Great film making, I watch a lot of documentary’s and this is a GOOD one! Enjoy.

  3. I just wanna say this is cool but in sweden we just get paid for plasticbottle and aluminium can thats bull
    Peace Mr mind

  4. Wow, what a great documentary, would love to meet those guys. You did a wonderful job.

  5. […] I just saw Murray Siple’s  “Carts of Darkness”. Great documentary! For an east-European it’s incredible how decent the life of a homeless person could be in a suburb in British Columbia. They use the recycling system to make money and have fun. They would die of hunger in Bucharest. There’s no recycling system at all. Leave a Comment No Comments Yet so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Click here to cancel reply. Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> […]

  6. I absolutely enjoyed this documentary. I’m an advid documentary watcher and I just happened to stumble upon this online and I am so glad I did!!

  7. Wow…thank you. This films has shown me a side of life that I would have never been exposed to except for the creative curiosty of a film maker like yourself. Beautifully filmed, narrated and edited. I’m in awe. Like you I was involved in a horribly violent car crash that killed my husband and nearly killed me. I have some of the same nerve damage that you and your subjects have. It was truly inspiring to see you rise above that trauma. Keep making films and share your passion. I am
    motivated by your brilliance. Again, thank you.

  8. Great film! I have worked in a recycling depot in a northern Canadian town with harsh winters. These guys do a real good service of cleaning up bottles and suprisingly alot of other garbage as well. Most of these guys are decent men with a rough exterior to deal with a rough life. I to was allowed to see were they live in my town as it is normally a secret as vandals will destroy their stuff or steal it all. During my time at the depot as the manager at least 2 “binners” I knew died of complications that normal people would just get treatment for. People looked down on these guys and girls without even knowing a thing about them. I really took a liking to this bunch, such determination, such generousity, such characters!

  9. I was touched quite deeply. I have a whole new respect for people that who do not have what I have. Everyone should watch this doc. and let it impact them.

    Thank you

  10. Phenomenal film. I am inspired, touched, and thankful. The lens captures some important lives that would not have been shared otherwise. Keep up the good work.

  11. This documentary is great, living in north vancouver in the parkgate village area it immersed me into a different perspective of the area that i had never really seen or heard of before!
    Props to murray siple!

  12. Murray Stiple-You did good. I hope this was the beginning of a creative career for future endeavours into the essence of the human being. It took guts to expose yourself and your vulnerability into a world you did not understand at first. The bottle pickers in the interview had great personalities that were developed throughout the video. I truly liked the wide spectrum and the heart that came through with passion, respect and humour. The touch of your snowboarding life and the shopping cart- with you in it coming down the hill- a brilliant touch of creativity.

  13. Not sure what your boarding films were up to ten years back but that was awesome Keep it up Murry…. your sick with it!

  14. Hey Murray !
    Your documentary was outstanding, profound and really evoked strong emotions, up, down, and all around. And I am a fellow artist and have always followed the rule that good art is not what it looks like mores so how it makes you feel. Your film is so close to you it sincerely portraits your suffering through their suffering like the demons they experience are in juxtaposition with yours, different labels but their still demons. I am an artist and bi-polar and have self-medicated most of my life, did a 5yr stretch in prison, went back a couple times and the circle Fergie talks about how vicious the cycle is like our planet orbits the sun that circle that can’t be broken without one destroying the other. I have done extensive six month inpatient therapy, AA, NA self help groups I have all the ubiquitous tools my belt will carry and still I crawl away, learn to walk, start running and wham fall flat on my face and repeat steps 1,2,3 (perpetual)?
    So I can identify with your subjects, whole heartedly, and the funny thing is most of them don’t make excuses they man right up to their sh*t.
    Not like most the snooty “God fearing” person that looks down their nose at you and them, waving a bible in your face trying to explain how God will save the world! I Thought Jesus died for our sins already so what’s everyone so worried about. But I understand how you mentioned this category of lifestyle type person makes you feel welcome and at ease, you never feel like your on display for someone to condemn. I really look forward to more of your work. And I bet there are thousands more that feel the same way.

  15. Wow! this masterpiece just blew me away, rarely have I been so glued to a screen. Such a heart touching adrenaline rush!

  16. Hey Murray,

    Just want to let you know Jason Stephens, has past away… I am just looking up stuff he posted up and I found this… If you want to reach me, you can at

    Tylor.hine@live.ca

    Hope to hear from you soon, Tylor…

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