Carts of Darkness

I CRAVE SPEED IN MY LIFE.

I NEED TO BOMB A STEEP HILL, ESCAPE AN AVALANCHE.

ONCE UPON A TIME, I MADE SNOWBOARD FILMS,

AND MY LIFE WAS PURE ADRENALINE.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD LAST FOREVER.

NOW THE MOUNTAINS THAT SURROUND ME

ARE NOTHING BUT BEAUTIFUL OBSTACLES.

I'M LIVING IN A WORLD OF FLAT SIDEWALKS

AND POWER DOORWAYS,

AND HAVEN'T MADE A FILM IN 10 YEARS.

RECENTLY, I DISCOVERED A GROUP OF OUTSIDERS

LIVING IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD

MAKING THESE HILLS THEIR OWN.

NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO SEE THEM.

IT'S TIME FOR MY CAMERA TO LEAD ME INTO A NEW WORLD.

MY NAME'S AL,

AND I WILL GO DOWN MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY,

GO SCREAMING DOWN.

I WILL DO 67 KILOMETRES AN HOUR.

THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO BOMB MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE GOING TO DO IT.

I'VE SEEN A GUY DIE TODAY.

I DON'T FUCKING NEED NO SHIT FROM NO ONE.

I WANT TO GO FASTER!

MY BROTHER'S GOT A CART FULL OF EMPTIES

AT A CROSSWALK,

AND GETS SMOKED.

HE WENT 25 METRES WITH A BROKEN SKULL-CAP.

WHOO!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

THAT WAS NOT BAD. I LIKED THAT ONE.

THAT ONE, WELL, YOU GOT UP TO MAYBE 55.

LET'S DO ANOTHER ONE.

I AM THE CAN MAN OF NORTH VAN.

THERE AIN'T NOTHING I CAN'T DO.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

WITH THOSE BOTTLES IN IT, AND WITH THAT WEIGHT,

THAT CART WILL DO 70 MILES AN HOUR.

OH, MY GOD...

YOU OKAY, DUDE?

JUST GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY LEG,

AND I DON'T EVEN WANT TO FUCKING DEAL WITH IT.

: I USED TO NOTICE BROKEN-DOWN SHOPPING CARTS

RANDOMLY DISCARDED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,

AND ALWAYS WONDERED WHY THEY WERE LEFT THERE?

THEN I MET SOME BINNERS OUTSIDE MY LOCAL SUPERMARKET

CASHING IN THEIR EMPTIES.

THEY HAD THE SAME OUTLAW ENERGY THAT DREW ME TO SNOWBOARDING.

SO, THIS IS MY LIFE.

THAT'S WHERE I STAY, IN THIS TREE OVER HERE.

I'VE BEEN THERE FOR TWO WEEKS NOW.

IT'S STILL SUMMER WEATHER.

I GOT KICKED OUT OF MY HOUSE.

THIS IS HOW I DO THINGS RIGHT NOW.

I LIVE IN A BUSH, COLLECT CANS.

I DID MY LEG IN THE OTHER DAY SHOP CARTING

GOT 17 STITCHES OVER THERE,

BUT, YOU KNOW, LIFE IS LIFE.

EVERYBODY IN EXTREME SPORTS GETS THE BRUISES.

WHOO!

HAH-HAH!

WHOO-HOO-HOO!

: I ACTUALLY MADE MORE MONEY

COLLECTING BOTTLES EVERY DAY

THAN I DO AT MY JOB RIGHT NOW,

BUT IT MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A BUM.

EVERYBODY GETS TO KNOW YOU AS A BUM,

AND NO ONE,

IF THEY KEEP SEEING YOU IN NORTH VANCOUVER,

WILL EVER HIRE YOU.

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?

GOOD GOD.

WE STARTED UP SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS AGO

PUTTING ALL THE RECYCLABLES OUT.

WELL, I WAS RIDING SHOPPING CARTS

DOWN MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY,

AND ALL THESE BLUE BINS WERE OUT.

"HEY, THERE'S A BIG BAG OF BOTTLES SITTING THERE.

HEY, I'LL GRAB THEM AND CASH 'EM AT THE VERY END."

I'M MAKING MONEY WHILE I'M DOING MY SPORT.

HO, HO, HO! JACKPOT...

YEAH, I CAN'T BELIEVE

THEY'RE ACTUALLY THROWING THIS STUFF AWAY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST MONEY IN THE BANK.

MOST PEOPLE THINK YOU'RE SOME HOMELESS GUY.

I MEAN, HEY, I WORK FOR A LIVING,

JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

THE ONLY BONUS PART ABOUT IT IS,

I DON'T HAVE TO PAY $800 FOR A FUCKING DAMN HOUSE,

YOU KNOW?

THE ONLY THING I MISS IS,

I LOVE MY TV, AND I...

I HAVEN'T SEEN THE SIMPSON'S IN A LONG TIME.

WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE SIMPSON'S CHARACTER?

WHAT DO YOU CALL HIM, UH, SNAKE.

SNAKE'S ALWAYS HILARIOUS.

: IT'S A PRETTY GOOD WAY TO MAKE A LIVING.

FIVE CENTS FOR ANYTHING UNDER A LITRE,

20 CENTS FOR ANYTHING OVER A LITRE,

AND 10 CENTS FOR BEER, AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

I'LL TAKE THEM IF YOU DON'T MIND.

YOU CAN HAVE THEM.

THAT'D BE GREAT.

BEAUTY. YOU'RE MAKING MY DAY.

THAT'S RIGHT ON.

A COUPLE OF BUCKS.

SOMETIMES, THEY CAMOUFLAGE STUFF, YOU KNOW?

THEY'VE GOT PAPERS ON TOP OF EVERYTHING,

BUT THEN UNDERNEATH, YOU HIT THE GOLDMINE.

SOME PEOPLE ARE REALLY NICE, EH?

THEY DON'T MIND US COMING AROUND AND MAKING A FEW DOLLARS.

SOME OF THE BLUE BOX GUYS GET MAD.

WE TRY AND AVOID THEM, YOU KNOW.

YOU STAY OUT...

YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THEM COMING DOWN THE STREET,

YOU GO THE OTHER WAY, RIGHT?

THAT'S THE DEAL.

WE'RE MAKING SOME MONEY.

CAN'T LIVE ON FRESH AIR AND GOOD LOOKS.

YOU KNOW, I COULD PROBABLY GET A DAMN JOB TOMORROW,

BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SHOW UP TWO DAYS IN A ROW KIND OF THING

'CAUSE YOU WENT ON A BENDER WITH SOME PRETTY-LOOKING BLONDE,

AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOU'RE...

YOU'RE FIRED.

: I WOULDN'T WANT TO

HAVE TO WALK UP THAT HILL EVERY DAY,

NEVER MIND PUSHING A BUGGY.

IT'S HOT, IT'S HEAVY, IT'S DIRTY.

WE'RE TOO LAZY, MAYBE, LOTS OF THE TIMES

TO TAKE IT DOWN AND RECYCLE IT.

WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE THAT TIME TO RINSE THEM OUT, AND...

WELL, WE DO RINSE OURS OUT.

I THINK THAT WE'RE TOTALLY HELPING THEM OUT.

EXERCISING, WALKING,

NOT USING ANY FUEL DRIVING CARS.

I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL HAVE A UNIFORM

AND MAKE IT REALLY LEGAL.

WHOO!

: LOOK, THE POLICE TOOK MY LICENCE AWAY,

I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE ANY KIND OF MOTOR VEHICLE.

OKAY, WHERE'S THE MOTOR IN ONE OF THOSE THINGS?

THERE'S NO MOTOR,

BUT, HEY, I GET TO GO AS FAST AS A CAR, THOUGH.

I GOT PULLED OVER THERE.

I FIGURED I WAS GOING TO GET A SPEEDING TICKET.

THAT'S NOT BAD AT ALL FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS

CRUISING AROUND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD,

CLEANING UP THE ENVIRONMENT.

THIS IS THE HARD PART, HAVING TO SORT THIS ALL OUT.

: ON A GOOD DAY FOR ME, I MAKE $70.

IT'S LIKE PEOPLE ARE THROWING AWAY CANDY.

: ALL RIGHT, WE HIT THE MOTHERLODE.

FIVE-CENT POP,

NOT EVEN WORTH PICKING UP HALF THE TIME,

BUT WHEN YOU'RE DESPERATE, YOU KNOW,

YOU'LL PICK UP ANYTHING.

HEY, WE GOT A SIP.

IT'S A DAILY THING.

YOU BECOME AN ALCOHOLIC, YOU KNOW.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT WORSE THINGS YOU COULD BE

IN THIS WORLD.

: THE PROBLEM IS, I GOT A CRIMINAL HISTORY.

THAT THING WILL HAUNT ME TILL I DIE.

I CAN'T GET A GOOD JOB.

THERE'S A GOOD BOTTLE CAP THERE.

IT SAYS, "ON THE FIRST WEEK OF THE NEXT MONTH,

DO SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU."

SO, DO I GET 10 CENTS FOR THE BEER CANS?

YUP.

GOOD MAN.

I MUST BE A PREFERRED CUSTOMER.

THANKS VERY MUCH. HAVE A GOOD ONE.

HOW MUCH MORE DO I HAVE?

FIVE, SIX, SEVEN.

SIX, 11... 50?

11.50.

THAT'S NOT BAD.

: NORTH VANCOUVER IS A WEALTHY AREA,

EVEN THE BLUE BOXES HERE ARE A GOLD MINE.

ALTHOUGH I LOVE THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD

AND HAVE LIVED HERE FOR YEARS,

I STILL DON'T FEEL LIKE I BELONG HERE.

AFTER HANGING OUT WITH THESE BOTTLE COLLECTORS

FOR JUST A SHORT TIME,

I FEEL MORE AT HOME IN THEIR WORLD

THAN I DO IN MY OWN.

THERE'S A GOOD ONE RIGHT THERE.

THERE WE GO.

: I WONDER...

HOW FAR WILL THEY BE WILLING TO TRUST ME?

HEY, YOU GOT LUCKY,

YOU GOT A HANDLE ON YOURS!

FUCK, THAT'S ALL I NEED IS THE ONE.

NICE, ROCK, BUDDY!

YOU THINK SO?

GREAT ROCK!

THIS IS ALL I NEED.

EXTREME RACING, MAN,