Review: Skid Row (2007)
Bemuse yourself as Pras from The Fugees abondons the opulent lifestyle of a commercial hip hopper to experience a few hours of life on LA’s Skid Row. His attempts at documenting homelessness, violence and drug abuse, though well-intentioned, are needlessly clandestine and at times he has to play dumb when his subjects don’t take kindly to being filmed from across the road. It’s a self-preserving, rather ugly manipulation of the subjects he purports to empathise with.
There is an obvious vanity in the self-reflexivity of Skid Row. Various cumbersome and argumentative monologues show Pras cutting sick at his film ‘crew’ and it’s apparent he’s completely out of place on the streets. He appears to be more worried about protecting his own hide rather than conveying his blunt, undeveloped ideas. If you must watch a documentary that features a Fugee, Wyclef Jean’s appearance in Ghosts of Cité Soleil will surely suffice.
The film is a misguided, somewhat unintelligent exploration of one of the most horrific urban slums in the USA. Pras’ glamour shot on the cover of the DVD is a dire indicator which correctly implies that we’ll learn little about Skid Row.
There are many, well-conceived and touching documentaries about homelessness, unfortunately, Skid Row ain’t one of them.
We all need to help and have compassion even for those who claim they want to live this life drug and alcohol abuse. Those people are captives of the enemy and need to be set free. If only we could educate those millionaires and billionaires of these situations and turn there hearts of stone back to flesh (address the problem instead of putting a band aid on it) … More recovery/alcohol addiction homes need to be created, more deliverance ministries( many of these people actually are demonically possessed or oppressed)…We could all make a difference.