Movie examines homeless up close
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. >> Sacramento’s growing homelessness crisis will move further into a wider spotlight later this year, with the release of a movie filmed in the region that delves into the struggles of unhoused populations.
“No Address,” set for release this winter, follows a group of five people experiencing homelessness who form a “street family” within a large encampment, according to its official synopsis. Conflict deepens when a businessman seeks to buy the encampment property for a land development project.
Filming on “No Address” wrapped up last month, after taking place in multiple locations across the greater Sacramento area, including the Land Park and Woodlake neighborhoods.
On the final day of principal photography, cast members shared some of their thoughts on the film, its themes and what they hope audiences will experience and learn from it.
‘Heartbreaking’: Actors weigh in on homelessness crisis
Early in the filming process, producers took the actors down a stretch of Del Paso Boulevard in Old North Sacramento that is lined with homeless camps and tents.
“It’s staggering,” Xander Berkeley, a prolific character actor, said of the homeless situation in Sacramento. “It’s just heartbreaking. You can’t believe it, and you just keep wondering, how does this happen? Why does this happen, and how can it be helped?”
Berkeley portrays Harris, a war veteran, former drug addict and artist who serves as “protector” of the group, and who helps provide support by selling paintings he makes of its members.
The film also features actor and Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Ashanti, who plays Violet, a combat veteran who becomes homeless after developing a painkiller addiction.
“It’s a beautifully written story about people coming together, creating their own family,” Ashanti said.
The role is very different from most Ashanti has played in her career, she said, but she was drawn to the project and believes that it can help change people’s perceptions and misconceptions.
“I hope that people walk away gaining compassion, becoming less ignorant and taking the time to understand that these circumstances could happen to you, could happen to your best friend, people in your family,” she said. “It’s a global issue.”
Isabella Ferreira, whose character Lauren has been kicked out of her foster home after graduating from high school, said she wants audiences to take away the importance of communicating with those experiencing homelessness — even with a gesture as simple as a “hello.”
“I personally grew up surrounded by homelessness, in a lower-income neighborhood,” said Ferreira, who was raised in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood before moving to Los Angeles. “So when I first read the script I was really intrigued and curious, because I wanted to learn more.”
The film follows Harris, Violet, Lauren, Jimmy (Lucas Jade Zumann) and Dora (Beverly D’Angelo) as they navigate a large encampment that is ultimately targeted by an arrogant businessman, Robert (William Baldwin), who wants to buy the property but must first clear away the unhoused people who live there.