For almost a year, three young men who grew up on the rough
streets of the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, gave Gillian
Findlay and the fifth estate unprecedented access to the
complexities that make up their neighbourhood and their world.
For these three friends--Chuckie, Burnz and Freshy--the Jane and
Finch area is a tough world to navigate, an even tougher one to
escape. It is a story that will resonate in cities across the
country.
To get the access needed to tell this story, producers enlisted
two young filmmakers. Paul Nguyen and Mark Simms grew up in
Toronto's Jane and Finch neighbourhood, an area that has waged a
decades-long battle against a reputation for violence and
hopelessness. The fifth estate, together with Simms and Nguyen
as film crew, spent 10 months following Chuckie's, Burnz' and
Freshy's lives, from their criminal exploits and encounters with
the justice system to their relationships with family, friends,
and each other.
Lost in the Struggle: The Next
Chapter (2012)
Trailer (2012)
Lost in the Struggle (sneak
peek)
Lost in the Struggle (excerpt)
CBC The National (2007)
CBC News Morning (2007)
CityTV Backstory (2007)
Sun TV interview (2007)
Sun TV interview (2007)
Ministry of Attorney General Screening
Globe and Mail Review (2006The fifth estate (CBC,
9 p.m.) is superb in its season opener. It gives us a rare
and deeply affecting look inside the lives of three young
men who grew up on the rough streets of the Jane and Finch
area of Toronto. Gillian Findlay introduces us to Chuckie,
Burnz and Freshy. These are the young men we read about in
the paper-gun-toting, drug-dealing tough guys. But here we
don't get caricatures or short-hand versions of their lives.
We meet them at home. We meet their moms. We see their own
videos of violent robberies and gun-fights. But we go well
below the surface. Exactly what you make of these guys is up
to you. For anyone who lives in a big city, there's social
urgency to watching this.
