A real true to life story of the harshest reality drug abuse and unfortunate life choices can be. Well written, acted and produced. A glimpse into the underbelly world of many not noticed and forgotten.

boring and slower than a slow burn but still really good

Well that was depressing! I suppose you shouldn't let things go too far.

Difficult subject matter. Well acted and poignant. The ending was a relief as I felt the main character's level of anxiety and desperation throughout the entire movie.

An emotional frenetic rollercoaster ride through the other side, featuring the less fortunate people we see everyday in the city but try to ignore. Eye opening, tragic, and very intense! Riveting performances by everyone., especially so from Held (mother, writer, director) and Farmer (the girl). This one will stay with me for a long time. SXSW & Venice Film award winner (& deservedly so)

Amazing movie w impeccable acting. A real eye opener of how some human beings suffer every day and how it effects some that don’t have a choice. After watching this movie I can’t get out of my head of what 2pac said in an interview. How do some people have 30 bedrooms and others don’t have a room. How can somebody have 100 million dollars and some have none. It doesn’t make any sense. After watching this I fully understand now what he meant. No human being should have to live like this as others greed flourish including my own. Not only did I thank God for my life, I realized I have a lot of work to do to help others.

If you think you need a reminder to count your blessings, watch this. Uncomfortably true in its depiction of the misery of people with no safety net, and the lack of social services for the homeless, Up Top doesn't cater to cliches or overdo the heartache.

The mother should have taken her daughter out of that environment by giving her to an agency to help her.

A tense drama about a mother and daughter living in the NYC underground, that struggles to get where it's going, but brings up some pretty poignant questions along the way. Celine Held stars, and co-wrote and co-directed a film that borders on several social issues including homelessness and child raising. Held gives a powerful performance. The final act comes off contrived and while so much of the film is authentic there was one major plot twist that was a turning off point for me. It is still worth-watching, but the real-time decisions by Held's character don't always make sense, especially considering the insurmountable pressure that she is supposedly under. There isn't always a sense of place specifically, but rather a general one. Would have rather seen the underground space treated like the living quarters in 'Room'. Still, a fine film. Final Score: 7/10

Topside opens in a very specific place with some very specific people. They are New York's homeless and they have built themselves a make-shift home in the dark abandoned subway tunnels using whatever old debris they could find – lamps, mattresses, plywood, doors. We meet some of the people who live there, specifically a junkie named Nikki and her five-year-old daughter who try to live as normal a life as they can, foraging for food and occasionally hiding from city officials who want to force them out. The little girl becomes our focus, and most of the way, our point of view. She has an appearance so disheveled that, at first, we don't even register that she is a girl. It is impossible not to feel something for her in these surroundings. The first time we see her, she is standing in a shaft of light looking upward like a religious postcard. We're not surprised to learn that she has never seen the outside world. Nikki is constantly told that she needs to get Little out of the tunnels and up into the world, but she is reluctant because she fears losing her daughter to the system. When they are finally chased out of the tunnels, Little sees the world for the first time. What transpires in Topside reminded me of The Room, another story about a mother trying to eek out a meager living in a tight living space, and Little reminded me greatly of Hushpuppy, the hero of Beasts of the Southern Wild, only without the resourceful tools of survival. Nikki and Little are forced up into the noisy world of New York, trying to find some way, some avenue other than going to the authorities. For fear of losing Little, Nikki goes to her drug dealer and when that goes bad, she flees into the city. I wish I could say that the second half of the film was as compelling as the first. The problem is that once, filmmakers Logan George and Celine Held get things rolling, they aren't really sure where to take it. Most of the movie takes place from Little's point of view as she sees the world for the first time (it hurts her eyes and ears) but the movie loses that tight perspective in the third act when Nikki and Little are separated and we spend the rest of the movie dealing with her hysteria. I have nothing bad to say about the intent, only the execution. Nikki makes a decision at the end that I'm not 100% sure about. The movie ends on a rather abrupt note that I think will frustrated more people than it will move. Topside is a generally well-made movie that, like it's characters, is looking for a direction and doesn't find one.

Incredible movie! It drew me in from the first scene. The acting by the little girl and Nikki was superb. The ending breaks you. I loved this movie. Want to watch it again with my friends.