In the Gutter and Other Good Places

Colin, Jean and Ron are living in the streets of Calgary, Canada. All three of them are so-called 'dumpster divers', people who rummage garbage cans for bottles, cans and other junk which could bring in some money. With that source of income as a common starting point, the film portrays the lives of the three men and their disparate backgrounds. Colin has studied classical music, but is having psychological problems. Ron lost his family, job and self-respect through alcohol. Jean is the stablest of the three. He has a social benefit to fall back on. Sharply contrasting with the bleak subject matter is the aesthetic and at times poetical form of the film, which almost turns reality into fiction. 'A journey into the urban underworld' is the classification débutante Christine Richey gives to it. She gave up a well-paid job as a TV network reporter to be able to make films. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)