"Lost in Woonsocket" is a small piece of love in an otherwise over-saturated mess of independent films. I must admit, that I sat down in the theatre ready to be bored by what was no doubt a forced sentimental piece.
I was slowly and deliberately pulled into the touching story of Normand and Mark. Two homeless alcoholics who became the unwitting focus of the filmmakers' lives for the better part of a year.
It took me a while to consider that this was more than a documentary - it not only changed the lives of those in the film, it is creating a movement. Lost & Found in America is the non-profit group that has grown out of this work, and the passion of the very talented director/producer John Chester has forever been altered in the direction of helping people at unprecedented levels.
The film itself is the continuation of a single segment of an A&E series that was already cancelled by the time the story came back to haunt John and his partner Andre. Soon, they were enlisting a renegade crew to document what turned out to change the lives not only of these two homeless men, but everyone else involved.
The movement, www.LAFIA.org is a small grassroots march that is crossing America slowly and deliberately - calling attention to the necessity of more than a detox for our homeless, but a complete rehabilitation. Log onto www.LAFIA.org to read more about this film, and more importantly ways that you can become part of this movement to bless everyone in its path.
