There is something inherently dishonest about “Dark Days,” Marc Singer’s award-winning black-and-white documentary concerning a collection of homeless men and women who live in the dank and fetid subway tunnels underneath New York City. For while we are willing to believe that a community of subterranean dwellers can be formed who would voluntarily help each other through tough times (are there any other kind when you live in a tunnel?), Singer inexplicably ignores the bleakest aspects of daily existence that would make these stories of survival that much more amazing. The way he portrays a life-threatening dilemma suggests all the strain of noisy kids who live next door. Singer deserves credit for attempting to put a human face on such tragic circumstances, but he appears to have gotten so close to his main subjects that he seems unwilling to make them, or their desperate situation, look too bad. “Dark Days” opens Friday at The Music Box Theatre. (star)(star) 1/2 Running time: 1:24. No MPAA rating (strong language).
