Undercover is a feature length documentary about “the hidden face of homelessness”- older women. It follows ten older women across Australia who are either currently homeless or have been homeless, finding themselves in housing crisis due to a “life shock” like divorce, losing a job, rent increases, or illness. Like many of the older women who come to our Home at Last service, they are from all walks of life, and have used all their personal resources to survive, some sleeping in cars or vans, others now living in social housing.
HAAG was involved in the production of this film, providing key information on the issue. Unfortunately our staff and members did not make the final cut, however, some of them have been on panel discussions at the Melbourne International Film Festival which has allowed us to talk about the issues and solutions in a way that the film was unable to. It was fantastic to hear Margot Robbie, who narrates the film, talk about the need for more public housing – however, the focus on “pop up” shelters and emergency housing as a temporary solution was disappointing. It was great to see older residents of caravan parks also represented in the film, as the pros and cons of this type of housing is not something you see very often!
Overall, the producers have done a great job in sensitively telling these stories, and bringing the issue to new audiences. They have plans for more screenings over the coming months, and the film is in cinemas on 6 October. Let’s hope it can spur decision-makers to act!
You can hear an interview with producer Diane Fisk on our radio show here: 3cr.org.au/haag/episode/undercover-hidden-faces-homelessness
Undercover is streaming on Netflix, for showtimes and other information, see undercoverdocumentary.com