Clinton News-Record, 1987-11-11, Page 25Young offenders give their opinion of elm
BY LOU -ANN DE BRUYN
For many residents of the Bluewater
Centre for Young Offenders, John N.
Smith's Traiu of Dreams is a story that
hits close to home.
Sure, there were cheers, applause (at
the site of the fence surrounding
Bluewater Centre) and laughter (when
familiar faces flashed on the screen) at
the Park Theatre Wednesday evening
from residents of the Centre when the
film began, but as the movie progressed
the room became quieter. A sure sign
that the boys believed the story of one
teenager who was caught in a situation
similiar to their own.
For the most part, the movie was ac-
cepted by the boys behind the big fence,
almost 70 of whom were bused into
Goderich to view the film with invited
guests at the first showing. The remain-
ing residents watched a video tape of the
film at Bluewater Centre.
"I thought it was good," 18 -year-old
Jeff ()lot his real name) said. Nineteen -
year -old Grant (not his real name) con-
curred, adding some scenes were "stret-
ched" at little bit for effect. For exam-
ple, he noted the boys are riot allowed to
swear and are punished if overheard by
staff members (punishment occurs in the
form of points for good behaviour lost).
Being carried down the hall and thrown
into a quid'; cell as was Tony in the movie
also does not occur at the Centre.
In spite of these differences, both boys
felt the movie portrayed life as a young
offender in an institution realistically.
Jeff noted that he felt like the movie's
central character Tony (played by Jason
St. Amour) when he entered Bluewater
Centre.
"When you come in here, you think
you're special but then you realize you're
just like everyone else," he said. "If
you're going to survive, you have to do
your own time".
Jeff went on to say that the movie
"showed what the guys here really do
feel like. You don't really have friends
and you can't really trust anyone. In-
stead, you sit there and think about the
things you've done to end up in here.
You spend a lot of time thinking about
everything."
For Jeff, the movie only made him
realize more how much he does not want
to return to Bluewater or another institu-
tion again. He is due for release this
week and credits the guidance and help
he received at Bluewater Centre for his
new outlook on life.
"I guess I could say, in a way I'm glad
I came in (Bluewater) because when I
get out I know what I want to do." His
plans include attending college next year.
INSTITUTION HELPS
Grant also believes being in an institu-
tion has helped him in a number of ways
similiar to Tony in the movie.
Like Tony, Grant always sees the big
fence when he leaves or returns to
Bluewater. It is that fence that keeps
him thinking about the future.
"It's hard not to think of the fence
because you see it every day. You see
the fence and all you think about is your
freedom."
Although Grant's freedom won't come
for some time, he isn't giving up on
leading a fulfilling and crime -free life.
Allowed out on occassional weekend
passes to visit his family, Grant credits
Actors
._ •
luelTatfl
ting around waiting to be used in a scene
was boring, deJeu said he, along with
most of the students, "had fun" filming
the movie.
Aside from local and area high school
students, staff members at Bluewater
Centre were also called upon to act in the
film.
Bluewater Centre Superintendent Carl
DeGrandis, filling the role of the institu-
tion's superintendent, played the part as
he normally does when meeting any new
resident. Needless to say, he already
knew what to say thereby presenting a
flawless performance. Other staff
members were equally as good.
But, acting wasn't the only aspect of
the film with which local persons were
involved.
Goderich resident Angela Carter, a
Drama in Education graduate from the
University of Windsor, helped in the pro-
duction aspect of the filming. Also work-
• from page 4
anything like the final version. It was as
far from what I thought it might be like
as it could get."
deJeu explained that many scenes ap-
peared different than the way he
remembered them being filmed.
However, he still liked the film.
He noted the students were supplied
with the required blue shirt by the film
company although they had to supply
their own blue jeans and shoes.
"They told some guys to get their hair
cut," he said, adding that he was one who
had to have his hair cut extremely short.
Although all the movements in each
scene were planned by the director, what
the actors said was up to them, deJeu
noted. He said they were told basically
what to get across in the scene but that
there lines were "ad lib."
In spite of the fact that, at times, sit -
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the programs and staff at the Centre for
helping him and his family become closer
knit.
"You can find people like the teacher
(the black teacher in the movie) in here
who want to help us," Grant said, adding
accepting their help is up to each resi-
dent. "Some guys who get help will
straighten out and some won't. The ones
that won't will always be in institutions."
Grant also has plans for the future.
"Bluewater Centre has lots of influence
on where you get on the outside. It's go-
ing to be hard to go back on the outside
because I'm going to find myself up
against a brick wall and I'll have to
make myself fight for what I want and
not give up as most people would. I'll
have a better chance when I get out
because I came here and got the help I
needed and know I have courage," Grant
said. He hopes to enter the Armed
Forces for mechanical engineering and if
that doesn't work out then working with
the handicapped is another goal he has
set for himself.
Although both young men don't know if
they would see the film of their own ac-
cord again, they did acknowledge that
viewing it would help in one way: "See-
ing the film again when we're on the out-
side will bring back a lot of memories
that we don't want to remember but we
will remember and those memories and
the film will keep us out of it (a life of
crime)."
As with Tony in Train of Dreams, the
ending of Grant and Jeff's stay at
Bluewater Centre and the beginning of
their lives on the outside looks just as
optimistic.
Dreams
ing on the production end of the movie
were three Bluewater Centre residents,
one of whom went on to Montreal to help
with production there.
Carter worked in production from the
end of August 1986 to the first week of Oc•
tober 1986.
"Basically, I was a gopher. I did
everything. I looked after Fred Ward
(the actor who played the teacher),
delivered films, got the kids involved,
and spoke at the Clinton and Goderich
high schools about the film."
While Carter liked the film ("It was
good for a National Film Board
movie,"), she did admit it wasn't exactly
what she thought it was going to be like
when she saw it at the theatre.
"It was different than I thought it •
would be. I saw a lot of film being made
and they didn't use a lot. They seemed to
use about one in 50 shots that they film-
ed," she said.
CLINTON NCWS-RECORD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1987—Page SA
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