Invisible City is a documentary filmed by Hubert Davis. Following the lives of Mikey and Kendell, two youths currently situated in Regent Park’s community housing during the beginning of Toronto’s ‘Revitalization’ plan for the area in 2005. During this development of the city, Davis explores the issues that affect these adolescent boys and their mothers. My initial interpretation of the film is how well the documentary addresses the concerns around public housing. The policy in the film such as Pathways to Education is relevant to Social Welfare. The various systems in the area addressing issues such as Education and their effects on residents of Regent Park in the film must be improved. Ultimately, the lived experiences of residents of Regent
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The narrative that this documentary follows is one of helplessness. Kendell and Mikey, two 15-year-old boys with single mothers living in Regent Parks public housing experience the difficulties of escaping the cycle of living in public housing. Public housing is supposed to be temporary, essentially a transitional period for immigrants or those with low income to recover and return to regular residences. In a city with so much financial success in Toronto, residents living in Regent Park don’t have the same economic opportunities as other Toronto residents. This district still lacks a secondary school, let alone any meaningful employment opportunities for those living in the area. With Kendell and Mikey’s mothers finding difficulty to make ends meet, and quality secondary education nowhere in sight, the incentive to attend high school is low. Eventually, the influence of the streets and narcotics affect Kendell and Mikey. Instead of outlining solutions to the problem, Hubert Davis’ portraying the real and perhaps grim reality of their situation allows for a more empathetic feeling when watching Invisible City. The Revitalization Project that the city of Toronto is trying to implement at the beginning of the film, seen as a positive amongst the public, does not demonstrate the …show more content…
Exclusion is relative; it is not just a physical or economic barrier (Vengris, 2017, p. 5). Such as Regent Park, physically and financially there is exclusion, the problem lies with the lack of opportunity in the area. With minimal employment in Regent Park with middle to high income and a lack of available education, residents of Regent Park are stuck in this low-income cycle. As Ainsworth Morgan put it during the film: “you get more respect getting out of prison than you do getting your master’s” (Davis, 2005). Invisible City shows that a simple “revitalization plan” will not suffice to repair the socio-economic circumstances in Regent Park. The exclusion and lack of opportunity for not only Mikey and Kendell but also their mother’s earning low salaries, forcing them to work when they should be at home raising their children, continue the cyclical nature of exclusion. Exclusion is a cycle because if “you don’t have… you don’t participate… you don’t have” (Vengris, 2017, p. 5). This cycle affects Regent Park by not presenting an opportunity for better employment or scholastic success and marginalizing the residents of the area into a permanent residence whereas public housing should be
The narrative that this documentary follows is one of helplessness. Kendell and Mikey, two 15-year-old boys with single mothers living in Regent Parks public housing experience the difficulties of escaping the cycle of living in public housing. Public housing is supposed to be temporary, essentially a transitional period for immigrants or those with low income to recover and return to regular residences. In a city with so much financial success in Toronto, residents living in Regent Park don’t have the same economic opportunities as other Toronto residents. This district still lacks a secondary school, let alone any meaningful employment opportunities for those living in the area. With Kendell and Mikey’s mothers finding difficulty to make ends meet, and quality secondary education nowhere in sight, the incentive to attend high school is low. Eventually, the influence of the streets and narcotics affect Kendell and Mikey. Instead of outlining solutions to the problem, Hubert Davis’ portraying the real and perhaps grim reality of their situation allows for a more empathetic feeling when watching Invisible City. The Revitalization Project that the city of Toronto is trying to implement at the beginning of the film, seen as a positive amongst the public, does not demonstrate the …show more content…
Exclusion is relative; it is not just a physical or economic barrier (Vengris, 2017, p. 5). Such as Regent Park, physically and financially there is exclusion, the problem lies with the lack of opportunity in the area. With minimal employment in Regent Park with middle to high income and a lack of available education, residents of Regent Park are stuck in this low-income cycle. As Ainsworth Morgan put it during the film: “you get more respect getting out of prison than you do getting your master’s” (Davis, 2005). Invisible City shows that a simple “revitalization plan” will not suffice to repair the socio-economic circumstances in Regent Park. The exclusion and lack of opportunity for not only Mikey and Kendell but also their mother’s earning low salaries, forcing them to work when they should be at home raising their children, continue the cyclical nature of exclusion. Exclusion is a cycle because if “you don’t have… you don’t participate… you don’t have” (Vengris, 2017, p. 5). This cycle affects Regent Park by not presenting an opportunity for better employment or scholastic success and marginalizing the residents of the area into a permanent residence whereas public housing should be