Tom Waits performs & reads poetry in the new documentary about homelessness in the American South
Created by the Italian public television channel RAI3, ‘The Human Factor’ is a series of eight 46-minute investigative journalism episodes that reveal how human rights are violated by authoritarian regimes, autocracies or even within democratic nations, where the most vulnerable and the minorities often face oppression.
Ultima Fermata - “The Last Ride” - is the final episode in the eight-part series and an immersive journey among the "last" on earth: U.S. citizens that experience homelessness who are victims of a system without safety nets and forced to live in extremely marginalized conditions. In “The Last Ride”, their stories are accompanied by the unmistakable voice of Tom Waits. With performances on acoustic guitar and piano as well as reading from his poem Seeds On Hard Ground, Waits provides a through line to the landscape of faces and stories portrayed in the documentary.
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“The Last Ride”
Tom Waits performs & reads poetry in the new documentary about homelessness in the American South
Created by the Italian public television channel RAI3, ‘The Human Factor’ is a series of eight 46-minute investigative journalism episodes that reveal how human rights are violated by authoritarian regimes, autocracies or even within democratic nations, where the most vulnerable and the minorities often face oppression.
Ultima Fermata - “The Last Ride” - is the final episode in the eight-part series and an immersive journey among the "last" on earth: U.S. citizens that experience homelessness who are victims of a system without safety nets and forced to live in extremely marginalized conditions. In “The Last Ride”, their stories are accompanied by the unmistakable voice of Tom Waits. With performances on acoustic guitar and piano as well as reading from his poem Seeds On Hard Ground, Waits provides a through line to the landscape of faces and stories portrayed in the documentary.
Below are three charity groups mentioned in the documentary and links to their websites with more info on how to support them.
The Beat: A Warming Shelter Based in Madison, TN
https://shepherdofthegulf.org/: Homeless Camper Assistance in Biloxi, MS
Shower to the People: Shower and Laundry Services for the Homeless in Nashville, TN
“The Last Ride”: Written and directed by Angelo Loy, Martino Mazzonis and Luigi Montebello for Il Fattore Umano - RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
Photo credit for Tom’s photo: Luigi Montebello and Davide Rinaldi
Photo credit for the documentary still: Angelo Loy