The Stairs

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The Stairs

2016

1h 35m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

100%

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7 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The lives of habitual drug users in Toronto's Regent Park.

Ellen Brait

Globe and Mail

Gibson is successful in illuminating the constant struggles of a user and the lasting impact drugs have on one's life, though the film does drag at times and can abruptly shift from subject to subject, disrupting the narrative flow.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 7, 2016

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Matt Fagerholm

RogerEbert.com

A deeply inspiring look at ordinary people striving to defy the odds.

Oct 6, 2016

Full Review

Bruce DeMara

Toronto Star

Offering no pat solutions, Gibson is content for us to understand that the unconventional lives of his subjects make them no less worthy of dignity and respect.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 6, 2016

Full Review

Shelly Kraicer

Cinema Scope

This documentary approach to filming from the inside gets us far deeper into the complicated reality of drug dependence and recovery than standard television-style docs can reach.

Oct 2, 2017

Full Review

Ken Eisner

Georgia Straight

The 90-minute doc, shot in several formats over at least five years, centres on three Torontonians who have survived well enough to describe their journeys with some clarity.

Apr 21, 2017

Full Review

Norman Wilner

NOW Toronto

Filmed over the course of five years, and letting people tell their own stories in their own words, The Stairs is a work with deep compassion for those who've made their way back from the depths of addiction.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 11, 2017

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Hugh Gibson

Director

Hugh Gibson

Producer

Alan Zweig

Executive Producer

Hugh Gibson

Cinematographer

Cam Woykin

Cinematographer

Andres Landau

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Toronto Film Critics: The Stairs Is Best Canadian Film

Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2016

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Synopsis

The lives of habitual drug users in Toronto's Regent Park.

Director: Hugh Gibson
Producer: Hugh Gibson
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2018
Runtime: 1h 35m