Young and the Reckless

Director's Statement

Everything changed for our family in 2014, when our teenage nephew ran away from home, swapping its creature comforts for the harsh, drug-riddled reality of the streets in Auckland City. We were suddenly exposed to a world that we could have never imagined. Through our troubled nephew, we became friends with so many other teen runaways who had somehow slipped through the gaps in the system; adopting a lifestyle which was very different to what their families had desired for them. Forced into this conundrum, we questioned ourselves as to what we could have done differently for our nephew to avoid getting into this painful family position. The film's protagonists are members of our nephew's 'street family', all of whom have become very close to us over these past 7+ years. Right from the outset, we made a conscious decision not to involve our nephew in any of the footage as his unorthodox choices had already taken a huge emotional toll on our family. It was important to us that we kept our connection with him as purely a loving and supportive aunty and uncle relationship. Drug addiction was prevalent, particularly synthetic cannabis abuse which tended to be the most affordable option and the easiest to source on the streets. Glue, methamphetamine and even heroin use was also problematic amongst some of the homeless community. Our pain and curiosity led us into making this documentary, in the hope to not only understand this social phenomenon, but also shed light onto the reasons why some young people choose this uncertain journey. It was not always easy but we felt privileged being able to capture these moments in time.