The first minute of Topside is soul-shaking. It begins with a quote from the book about the homeless people that inspired the film, Jennifer Toth’s The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City. “JC told me initially that his community had no children. After a moment, he added, ‘We have adults as young as five.’”
As we absorb that thought, we see a young girl, surrounded by darkness, one lone beam of light from above illuminating her face like an angel in a Renaissance painting. She lives in an abandoned subway tunnel with her mother, Nikki, played by co-writer and co-director Celine Held.
Some of the other residents have made little homes for themselves in this underground labyrinth, a few pieces of furniture, a lamp, even a door. The girl watches cartoons on a tablet, but has never been “topside,” otherwise known to us as the world. She does not even have a real name, just an adjective. Everyone calls her Little (an affectingly natural performance by Zhaila Farmer).
Topside is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Celine Held and Logan George. It stars Zhaila Farmer, Celine Held, Jared Abrahamson, and Fatlip. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020. Then it made its U.S. premiere at the South by Southwest, where it won the Jury Award for Best Director. In February 2022, Vertical Entertainment acquired the film’s distribution rights.
Topside (2022)
Directed by: Celine Held, Logan George
Starring: Zhaila Farmer, Celine Held, Jared Abrahamson, Fatlip, Cynthia Tombros, George Doerner, Tarra Riggs, Kevin Tanski, Daria Somers, Tonye Patano, Liz Cameron, Tavante Conyers
Screenplay by: Celine Held, Logan George
Production Design by: Nora Mendis
Cinematography by: Lowell A. Meyer
Film Editing by: Logan George
Costume Design by: Begonia Berges
Set Decoration by: Elise H. Clark-Johnson
Art Direction by: Luke Green
Music by: David Baloche
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment
Release Date: September 2020 (Venice Film Festival), March 25, 2022 (United States)
Visits: 31
