By Erin Free
In modern cinema, drug use either denotes instant hipness, or demonises a character in one fell swoop. In conservative America, drugs are second only to terrorism as a national scourge, and are bandied about by politicians whenever they need a subject that they can “get tough on.” Stephen Szklarski’s little seen 2003 doco, Union Square, kicks against every preconceived notion about how drug use should be presented on screen. Using cheap, no-nonsense digital video, Szklarski’s methods are pure necessity and simplicity. Abandoning any kind of narrative or authorial voice, he follows around a crew of partially connected addicts who score amongst the shattered debris of New York’s Union Square, sleeping rough, panhandling and shooting up (all shown in grubby, sickening detail, from the skin popping right through to the needle dropping) in filthy public toilets.
But despite the putrid surrounds, the characters that we meet are surprisingly familiar: bickering couple, Cheyenne and Mike, could star in their own sitcom if not for the junk and despair; Ron seems like a nice guy, trying to do the right thing while working his habit and dropping hints about his family problems; Stealth is covered with ink and piercings but obviously has a good heart; and Danny is cagey and street smart, though ultimately reveals a much darker side. In their own way, these are all sympathetic characters, but Szklarski (who has disappointingly not made another film) never plumbs anything for effect or forces his hand. He simply documents things, and the audience gets to enter what will be to most an alien landscape. But as with all good cinema, Union Square lives and dies by its characters, and these are a truly compelling bunch.
While this chilling but deeply affecting documentary climaxes with a series of loose ends, the special features included on the DVD (which you can still find on eBay) provide some closure. Most of the characters are featured in a series of follow up interviews, and thankfully most of them have actually cleaned up their act and moved on with their lives. Some, however, can’t be found, while others are still hung in the same rut. It’s a heartbreakingly vicious cycle, but Union Square shows that sometimes there can be light at the end of the tunnel.
