Randy (
Simon Baker), a teenager living in a foster home on a reserve in Prince Rupert, arrives in Vancouver looking for his older sister, Angel (
Alex Rice). Angel ran away from the reserve five years ago, and Randy finds her at the dingy Pennsylvania Hotel in the downtown eastside, where she supports her heroin habit by working as a prostitute. Angel tries to convince Randy to return home, but he is soon seduced by the quick money that the streets can provide and falls for Angel's best friend, Stacey (Katherine Isabelle). Her brother's reappearance forces Angel to re-examine her own life, as Randy finds himself falling deeper into the world of the city streets and drug use.
Canadian Connection: Mostly Canadian cast and crew; filmed in British Columbia.
I use this in Native youth workshops to show them the dangers of getting trapped in street life and addiction
I work in the prevention education field in Reserves across Canada and this movie has been a great tool to show young people what happens when you leave your community for the big city and get trapped in the downward spiral of fast
money and addiction.
It shows you how some urban native find it hard to adjust to concrete jungle...