The Life

SYNOPSIS

Arnie and Tony are partnered Vancouver police officers. They were raised in the Downtown Eastside, where they now walk the beat. The Downtown Eastside is now the poorest neighbourhood in Canada and is riddled with open drug use. They want to be a small part of the neighbourhood's redemption. The current mentality on the force regarding the drug war is to "arrest the dealers, chase the addicts and pretend it's getting better". Using an addict in person at a high school outreach talk gives Arnie and Tony the idea to film real people telling real stories about life in the neighbourhood as an effective way to get the message out to kids about the dangers of even trying drugs. The video ruffles some feathers both amongst the addicts and the police force. Arnie and Tony take it hard when one of the regulars of the neighbourhood and a key part of the video dies; they feel they need to do something grand to acknowledge the lives of the forgotten.