Fix.

[Sammy Skillz]

currently, at school, we're learning about documentaries and the differences between it and photojournalism. so lately, for obvious circumstances, i've been really into documentaries. Last night i decided to take the subway across town and watch a documentary called Fix: The Story of an Addicted City. I first heard about it at being shown at the Montreal Film Festival last weekend. The documentary is about Vancouver's drug problem on skid row. It chronicles the trials and tribulations of Ann Livingston (the creator of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users) and the president of VANDU, Dean Wilson. Livingston is straight edge and not a user and it provides a really interesting juxtaposition between Dean Wilson, who is a heroin addict.

Essentially the movie presents the idea of a european-style war on drugs compared to an american-style war on drugs.

It really opens your eyes as you see this non-profit group rally against various opposing figures to drive home the fact that, they too, are humans. humans with problems.

The movie spans over a 2 year period i believe. You get the bigger "storyline" of VANDU's fight for safe injection sites but you also get side storylines such as Dean Wilson's fight against his own addiction.

I have seen "Through a Blue Lens" and i suppose Fix is the oter side of the story. Both documentaries seem to be biased towards opposing points of view.

Anyways, it's a really interesting film. I think the film was done by Netty Wild....i didn't get a chance to catch the name at the end of the film, unfortunatly.

-s.