Movie Review: Heartbreaking 'Topside' Brings Homelessness into a Modern Perspective

Topside is a harrowing story set in the deepest depths of poverty in New York City. In Topside, a mother struggles to raise a young daughter while managing addiction and work as a sex worker. It’s a day to day existence unimaginable to most but real for far too many people whom society has left behind. Topside has a bracing reality to it that adds urgency to the storytelling and admittedly, a pushiness to its drama. That said, the acting goes a long way to make you forget the cajoling nature of the drama.

Zhalia Farmer makes a remarkable film debut in Topside as Little, the daughter of Nikki (Celine Held). Little spends a lot of time alone exploring an underground tunnel where she and her mother live among a surprisingly large group of homeless people. That said, most of the movie will place us directly in the perspective of Little and her curious search for security in a highly insecure situation.

The first act of Topside is surprisingly gentle and sweet as Little looks for ways to pass the time, plays with her mom, and talks with fellow homeless neighbors such as John (hip hop star, Fatlip), who looks out for Little, especially when Nikki is working or scoring drugs. John himself is in no position to care for Little but he does, at the very least, provide someone who cares where Little is other than Nikki who does her best.

One of the choices that the makers of Topside make specifically is to not demonize Nikki. It would be very easy to portray a drug addict in a bad light but Nikki is instead shown as a devoted mother who happens to also be struggling with addiction, under-employment, and a lack of basic skills that make getting ahead in life difficult. It’s not an entirely sympathetic portrayal, but it is a fair portrayal and one unlike most movies that focus solely on the misery and desperation of addiction.

The hallmark of Topside admittedly, is a sense of sadness and a growing sense of dread. Throughout the movie we see signs that Nikki and Little’s lives are about to change with the encroachment of public officials. The tunnel where the two have made their tiny but durable home is about to be torn down and they are being warned to leave, even as they have nowhere to go. Little doesn’t understand what’s happening and her big sad eyes are heartbreaking as Nikki hustles her away from those tasked with clearing the tunnel of people.

Nikki, of course, is dealing with the grave fear that if anyone were to find Little living in the tunnels with her that Little would be taken away. The second act of the movie brings this idea into harsh light as Nikki struggles to find a place for them to hide while she searches for a new place for them to live. This leads her to make a terrifying decision, one that endangers both Little and herself. It’s an understandable decision and an important one that will come to fuel the film’s heartbreaking finale.

The final act kicks off with a moment of true terror. It’s a scene of terrifying suspense and one where the film switches perspective from Little to Nikki. In a lot of movies, switching our protagonist this late in the movie might be questionable but it’s the right decision for Topside as if the perspective weren’t switched, it might become overwhelmingly frightening and disturbing. The filmmakers would risk being accused of exploiting the fear of a child for drama. Switching perspectives from Little to Nikki keeps the fear and anxiety minus what might seem like exploitation.

I’ve seen some critics refer to Topside as 'Poverty Porn' but I do not agree with that perspective. I understand how a critic could come to that conclusion, Topside is overwhelmingly emotional and at times quite dark in the portrayal of poverty, but I don’t feel it was exploitative. The skillful way that the filmmakers, co-directors Logan George and star/co-director Celine Held, portray the incidents of Topside and masterfully move from Little’s perspective to Nikki’s serves the emotion of the story rather than exploiting it.

Topside is a remarkable work though I must say it is not for all audiences. If you can’t handle dread and heartbreaking sadness, Topside may be a little too much for you. That said, the movie shines a light on characters whose voices are rarely heard at the movies and in mainstream entertainment. Topside earns its relevance and importance by telling a unique story about singular characters who stand in beautifully for so many who can’t stand up for themselves.

Topside will be in limited theatrical release beginning Friday, March 25th, 2022.