A. Newsmagazine: The Fifth Estate (CBC) - Staying Alive

The extent of the documentary, Staying Alive, directed and produced by Tamar Weinstein on CBC’s The Fifth Estate takes place in the eastside of downtown, Vancouver, BC, during the present day. Recently established several years ago, Insite is the first and only legally supervised injection site in North America. The goal of the methadone clinic is to provide ‘junkies’ a sterile, safe and welcoming environment for addicts to inject and use illegal drugs. This documentary unveils the truth behind the lives of those whom are dependent on the clinic, in hopes to promote awareness and encourage users to stay alive. The problem faced by Insite is the Canadian Federal Government feeling hostile towards the idea, wanting to shut them down permanently.

The intake manager of Insite, Darwin Fisher, explains his concern towards the unstable lives of his clients, along with his passion to help users get clean, through personal interviews. We soon learn that the second floor of the clinic is labelled Onsite, where detox programs are offered to clients who wish to free themselves from their addiction. Therefore, not only is Insite a safe place to use, but it is also a solid stepping stone towards getting clean.

To support the documentaries cause, three clients were interviewed, expressing their story and their opinions towards Insite. David Brodrick has been a user since he was about thirteen years old, but has been a regular client at Insite since it first opened. He confines in Darwin Fisher, hoping to receive housing aid and moral support. Taz Prouting hits rock bottom and decides to undergo the eleven day detox program at Insite, hoping to free herself from her addiction. Shelly Tomic is introduced as one of Insite’s success stories, having been heroin free for three years thanks to the support and aid of the clinic.

The technique that the documentary was shot in is very effective and supports the criteria being discussed throughout the film. To help further express the pain, agony and despair the junkies go through, close-up shots were used excessively to reveal facial expression, emotion and danger during injection. In addition, the documentary had a raw feel and look, giving it a more personal approach, through the hand held camera work conducted. Medium shots were used throughout all personal interviews, panning left to right, from the interviewer to the interviewee.

I believe this documentary was effective in promoting awareness, offering concrete and solid information on the experimental clinic and revealing the truth behind the lives of junkies, that all they truly want is to stay alive.