Swansea Love Story
‘In 2009, Swansea drug agencies reported a 180% rise in heroin use, and it’s visible on the city’s streets.’
But how do you portray the lives of homeless young people as something more than statistics?
The six part documentary Swansea Love Story was filmed over a six month period in Swansea in 2009, and released earlier this year on Vice Magazine’s VBS TV channel.
Following the accounts of seven people caught between heroin and alcohol addiction, the film explores how changing economic and social values contributed to the narcotic epidemic in South Wales.
It’s mainly about showing a side of the story that one rarely gets to see: neither do you find the moralising accounts of serial documentaries, nor the gloom and doom of the kind.
On the contrary, the producers had the incentive to search for the heroes inside apparent villains that one might avoid on the street. And in doing so, the public sees these people’s lives otherwise than in black and white: dramatic, poignant, but also injected with dark humour.
In this circle of getting clean and relapsing, the love story of Amy and Cornelius seems as unstable as the sand castles built in the Bay. Nevertheless, one soon realises that their life experiences bring them together.
Only to recount a few: giving birth to a stillborn child due to domestic violence, being forced into prostitution at 14, or dealing drugs at 16.
What reiterates the sense of reality is the objective, unintrusive integration of the stories into the Swansea landscape, which becomes even more disturbing when you start to recognise some of the landmarks where they were filmed.
Shouttawe Substance Misuse Pages
WARNING: The Swansea Love Story videos contain images of hard drug use, and bad language. Please do not view them if you are likely to be upset or offended. They can be found on Vice TV.
IMAGES: www.viceland.com
1 Comment – Post a comment
PauloMadeira
Commented 18 months ago - 30th November 2010 - 12:59pm
So, what are we waiting for... the decriminalization of some drugs is the way forward, look at Portugal initiative and approach on dealing with drugs and drug users... the alienation of homeless and drug users general by society and politicians is just a joke. The money invested in parking wardens & fines should be diverted to front-line services such Swansea Drugs Project and enable young people to access other opportunities in life rather than drugs...