An inspirational story of LA homeless drug addicts journey to a better life.

☆☆☆☆

Skid Row Marathon – A documentary written and directed by Mark Hayes, that has racked up 13 awards from international film festivals. Working together producer Douglas Blush, Mark and his wife Gabriele Hayes has made this uplifting film about how an act of kindness can lift people out of homelessness.

The issue of homelessness is a global problem that many organisations and charities try to eradicate. However some parts of the world are affected by it a lot more than the others and there are probably no universal solution that would work for every single country. Skid Row Marathon gives us an insight into life of homeless people in LA’s Skid Row area well known for being impoverished and forgotten by society.

Skid Row – Downtown Los Angeles, contains one of the largest stable populations of homeless people in United States. When everyone around you is homeless and you kind of feel as it society and the whole world seems to have forgotten you it can be hard to get back on your feet and try to achieve a normal life. Craig Mitchell a LA Superior Court Judge started a running club in the hope that if he could get a few of these men and women into shape and run marathons, the benefits would cross over into their personal lives. The support of having someone believing in you gives each of us hope and motivation. Craig Mitchells support and dedication to those, who thought that the world had forgotten them, gave them sense of purpose and a new lease of life.

The film is heartbreaking and makes you see things from a different perspective.

The film is heartbreaking and makes you see things from a different perspective. Everything is not just black and white and there are two sides to each story. The documentary does a great job showcasing the raw reality of people living in Skid Row. It’s eye opening in how many people are living on the streets because of addictions. Many various shelters and organisations fight against homelessness and people like judge Craig are these peoples last hope to leave homelessness behind. The documentary tells this depressing story in a surprisingly beautiful and uplifting way, but not shying away from the hardship or struggles, it purely portrays reality.