Streetwise is a 1984 documentary film by director Martin Bell chronicling the lives of homeless youth on the streets of Seattle. It followed in the wake of a July 1983 Life magazine article, "Streets of the Lost", by writer Cheryl McCall and photographer Mary Ellen Mark (Bell's wife).

Synopsis

Streetwise portrays the lives of nine desperate teenagers. Thrown too young into a seedy, grown-up world, these runaways and castaways survive, but just barely. Rat, the dumpster diver; Tiny, the teenage prostitute; Shellie, the baby-faced one; and DeWayne, the hustler, are all old beyond their years. All are underage survivors fighting for life and love on the streets of downtown Seattle, Washington.

Production

According to Mark's accompanying 1985 book, also titled Streetwise, McCall and Mark traveled to Seattle, Washington specifically to reveal that even in a town that billed itself as America's most livable city, there still existed rampant homelessness and desperation. After making connections with several homeless youth during the writing of the article, Mark convinced Bell that the youth were worthy of his making a documentary based on their lives. McCall and Mark were also instrumental in making the film, which was funded by singer Willie Nelson. Streetwise follows the lives of several homeless teenagers, although it focuses most on 14-year-old Erin Blackwell, a young prostitute who goes by the name of Tiny. Much of the time, Tiny stays at the home of her alcoholic mother, Pat, who seems unfazed by her daughter's prostitution, calling it a "phase". Principal photography took place from Labor Day to Halloween, 1983, with a final day on August 24, 1984. Bell's follow-up documentary, named Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell, was released in 2016.

Reception

Streetwise has received a score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Writing for National Review, John Simon stated "Its cumulative effect is tremendous, but not quite the way you might think. It makes you very sad, but even more indignant; and it also makes you laugh a lot." In a pan for Time, Richard Schickel wrote "These glimpses into prematurely ruined lives are inescapably affecting. Yet there is something that is finally repellent about Streetwise." Streetwise was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Home media

Streetwise was released on VHS by New World Video in 1986. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection on June 15, 2021.

Aftermath

(Corresponds to the order of the cast list)

Legacy

In March 2013 a Streetwise Facebook group was opened up in hopes of finding the children from the documentary. Almost all the main characters (and some minor characters) were found. The group has recent pictures of Rat, Munchkin, Tiny, Justin, Lillie and many others. There are also memorials set up for the kids who are deceased. Old videos and pictures of the kids were found and posted. As of 2015, over 1,700 fans and Streetwise alumni participate and post in the group. Both Martin Bell and Mary Ellen Mark (posthumously) commented that they greatly enjoyed seeing all the kids they filmed over 30 years ago.

Sequel

On November 20, 2013, Mary Ellen Mark and Martin Bell launched the Streetwise: Tiny Revisited project on Kickstarter. The project exceeded the funding goal of US$60000 2013 by the time funding closed on December 20, 2013. The film, titled Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell, had its premiere at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival. It focuses on the life of Tiny and her family over the 30+ years since Streetwise. A new book was published in conjunction with the film. Streetwise: Tiny Revisited was published in the fall of 2015 by Aperture, and includes photos taken by Mark over 30 years of friendship with Tiny Blackwell.

In popular culture

The character Rat's line "I love to fly. It's just, you're alone with peace and quiet, nothing around you but clear, blue sky. No one to hassle you. No one to tell you where to go or what to do. The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world" is sampled in the song "Zap!" by The Avalanches (2016), as well as the songs "Say My Name or Say Whatever" by How to Dress Well (2012), "Unknown Summer" by Burial (2023), "Learn to Fly" by Priori and Sabola (2024), and "Seducer" by Saraya (1991). Another excerpt of dialogue is sampled in the song "すばらしくてNice Choice" by Fishmans (1996). English electronic-duo Jadu Heart sampled Streetwise dialogue in their album Hyper Romance.