Surviving Cliffside

"Surviving Cliffside" was a thought-provoking documentary released in 2013. Set in a dilapidated trailer park on the outskirts of Charleston, West Virginia, the film draws viewers into the stark reality of a family fighting to survive in the face of adversity.

Jon Matthews, having grown up in a similar community, directed the film and portrays an unflinching and authentic representation of life in the Cliffside trailer park, capturing moments that expose viewers to the painful struggles many Americans face daily.

Central to the narrative are E.J. Huffman and Brandy Smith, a young couple trying to navigate the tumultuous terrain of chronic illness, drug addiction, and poverty, all while attempting to raise their two young daughters: 19-month-old Jonannah and 6-year-old Makala. Huffman, a recovering drug addict, earnestly strives to maintain his sobriety and support his family by any means. In addition, he is grappling with his daughter Makala's battle with brain cancer.

Brandy Smith, the young mother, navigates her relationship with an often-absent and troubled partner while managing her daughter's medical needs and the everyday challenges of rearing a toddler. As a woman who grew up in a similar environment, her resilience is evident throughout the film as she is, in essence, fighting for her family's survival amidst harrowing circumstances.

Makala, a six-year-old fervently wishing for her beauty pageant dream to come true, defies her chronic health issue with courage and hope, offering audiences a heartfelt perspective with scenes that provide a unique blend of distressing and inspiring moments. Her heartrending story and bold spirit serve as the emotional core of the film, carrying the narrative and anchoring the viewers to her journey.

The directing style offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective giving the audience a raw and intimate view of the family, deeply entrenching viewers into the complicated and harsh reality of life in Cliffside. The candidly captured scenarios of the movie feel almost intrusive, offering little distance from the subjects, thus facilitating a connection between the audience and the characters.

Moreover, the stark yet powerful cinematography captures the genuine essence of the family's daily struggles and victories, imbuing the visual storytelling with a profound sense of authenticity rarely encountered in many films of this genre. From the panoramic shots of the trailer park to the close-ups of different characters and their moments of vulnerability, the visual aesthetics of the film never shy away from exposing the raw and concrete truth of living on the fringes of society.

Apart from this, the sound design of the documentary is punctuated by the lived-in noises of trailer park life: kids laughing, dogs barking, sirens blaring, car engines starting, etc. These background noises serve to immerse the audience deeper into the world of the characters, further enhancing the narrative and making the storytelling more impactful.

"Surviving Cliffside" is a sobering exploration of the American Dream or, more precisely, the harsh realities that often contradict it. Untangling the weaknesses from the strengths, the movie highlights how resilience, love, and hope can exist even in the bleakest of circumstances.

By the end of the film, one is left profoundly moved and reflective about the sociopolitical factors that perpetuate poverty and addiction in such communities. The film lifts the veil from the invisible sections of society and presents a narrative that demands attention and empathy. It is a heartrending story of survival, endurance, and hope that grips the viewer from beginning to end. Despite the heartache and suffering, you will find yourselves drawn to the strength of the human spirit that permeates through the narrative of "Surviving Cliffside".