Shado'Man

In Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, a group of friends lives on the streets. They call themselves the Freetown Streetboys, even though there are some women among them as well. Suley, Lama, David, Alfred, Shero and Sarah have all faced enormous physical and psychological challenges, and have been abandoned by the world around them. Without commentary and in poetic, cinematic images, the camera records the dark environment that they inhabit. The group shares their heartrending stories of the precarious nature of life in this complex country. But there is also room for everyday personal struggles, such as starting relationships, how to bring up children (or not), and sex. Filmmaker Boris Gerrets likes to explore the underbelly of big cities, using chance meetings and silent observation to present the day-to-day life of those inhabitants who normally stay in the shadow. Here too, a darkly filmed microcosm reveals the shadow world in which the underclass of Freetown lives, and the protagonists' determination and vulnerable humanity are both moving and humbling.