Streets

The worst thing is the cold, explains the homeless Marcelo in this raw documentary. He is one of the young runaways living in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. "For me, loneliness makes me very depressed." Marcelo would do anything for a safe, warm place to spend the night. He doesn't sleep a wink on the long cold nights outside, "because my shivering keeps me awake." Marcelo, his best buddy Jackson and the other street youths pay for their food, shelter and drugs by working hard and by stealing. They regularly suffer verbal and physical abuse from the police and the older homeless people as well. "In that way it's just like home," explains Jack. His father was a violent alcoholic, and he has been roaming the streets for three years now. He thought that by running away he could start a new life, but the reality here is that these boys have little hope for a better future. A few poignant black-and-white scenes from their tough life paint a picture of children oppressed by society. They are forced to become someone they do not want to be. As Elvis says, "I notice I've changed a lot; I'm not the same boy I used to be."