8.2/10
1,391
37 user 12 critic

Streetwise (1984)

| Documentary | 26 October 1984 (USA)
Streetwise Poster
Gritty documentary looks at the life and lives of teenagers living on the streets of Seattle.

Director:

Martin Bell

Writer:

Cheryl McCall (story "Streets of the Lost")

Stars:

Roberta Joseph Hayes, Baby Gramps, Erin Blackwell | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Credited cast:
Roberta Joseph Hayes Roberta Joseph Hayes ... Herself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Baby Gramps Baby Gramps ... Himself
Erin Blackwell Erin Blackwell ... Herself (as Tiny)
Lou Ellen Couch Lou Ellen Couch ... Herself (as Lulu)
Kim Kim ... Herself
Lillie Lillie ... Herself
Munchkin Munchkin ... Himself
Patti Patti ... Herself
Dewayne Pomeroy Dewayne Pomeroy ... Himself
Rat Rat ... Himself
Shadow Shadow ... Himself
Shellie Shellie ... Herself
Brandia Taamu Brandia Taamu ... Breezy
Tom Waits ... Himself
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Portrays the lives of nine desperate teenagers. Thrown too young into a seedy grown up world, these runaways and castaways survive, but just barely. Rat, the dumpster diver. Tiny, the teen prostitute. Shellie, the baby-faced blonde. DeWayne, the hustler. All old beyond their years. All underage survivors fighting for life and love on the streets of downtown Seattle. Written by Fiona Kelleghan <fkelleghan@aol.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

teen prostitute | seattle washington | street life | suicide | prison | See All (24) »

Taglines:

At 13, there's not much Lillie hasn't seen. Except love. See more »

Genres:

Documentary

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Законы улицы See more »

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bear Creek See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Picked by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films" in a special supplement devoted to independent films that was only distributed to subscribers in November 1997. See more »

Quotes

Rat: I love to fly. It's just, you're alone with peace and quiet, nothing around you but clear, blue sky. No one to hassle you. No one to tell you where to go or what to do. The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world.
See more »

Connections

Followed by TINY: The Life of Erin Blackwell (2016) See more »

Soundtracks

Rat's Theme
Written and Performed by Tom Waits
See more »

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User Reviews

heartbreaking, classic doc
3 October 2004 | by rufasff – See all my reviews

I find the comments here really interesting. I have always felt the filmmakers probably manipulated events (rather than outright scripting), and the kids

hammed it up in places for the cameras, still, that only added another fascinating element to this great film.

I have a book of photographs that went with the film. Alas, the tall lesbian girl was killed in a fight not long after the movie was finished. I also saw a "Nightline" show years later that followed up "Tiny" from the movie. Again, alas, She was a real mess.

Still, everything about this, staged in places or not, has a real ring of heartbreaking truth. Nine and a half out of ten.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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