NOT THE LIFE ANYONE SHOULD LEAD

THE UPCOMING CTV movie The Life isn't some cookie-cutter tear-jerker of the
week.

The project sheds some light on the dark corners of despair in Vancouver's
Eastside and working on the movie left a lasting impression on at least one
of its stars.

"It's a great film. I feel like I'm part of an important message. I really
think everybody took a very valuable risk," Alisen Down, 28, said in a phone
interview from her Vancouver home.

The Life, produced by Sarrazin-Couture Entertainment and Haddock
Entertainment in association with CTV, is directed by Lynne Stopkewich
(Kissed, Suspicious River).

It was inspired by the 1999 National Film Board documentary Through a Blue
Lens, an acclaimed film that came about when some police officers in
Vancouver bought a digital camera with the help of corporate sponsors and
got permission to film the addicts they encountered while on duty.

The Life, airing Sunday at 9 p.m., doesn't flinch in its depiction of the
harrowing path followed by serious drug addicts.

Down (Cold Squad, Mysterious Ways) gives an outstanding performance as
Crystal.

Bruce Greenwood (The Riverman, Thirteen Days, The Sweet Hereafter) and Brian
Markinson (The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Sweet and Lowdown) are The Life's
central characters. Arnie and Tony are a pair of veteran beat cops who grow
increasingly disenchanted with the traditional police policies set up to
deal with the area's problems.

Arnie (Greenwood) gets frustrated with the traditional school visits he
makes in an effort to warn kids about the dangers of drugs. He gets the idea
to experiment on the streets by videotaping the drug-addicted residents of
the Eastside to provide some real fodder for the classroom.

Down says the cast brought a similar level of caring to its job.

"It was so refreshing to work with people who really cared about getting it
right and cared about their characters and every nuance," she said.

To help capture the essence of Crystal, Down devoted as much time as she
could to research. The producers helped set her up with a lot of material
and meetings in a short period of time.

"It was a lot of talking with people and documentary watching. What really
solidified it, I think, was walking out of hair and makeup in my full
Crystal-wear."

Born in a country suburb of Vancouver, Down is familiar with the troubles of
the neighbourhood. But working in the area for a few weeks allowed certain
points to be brought home.

"What I noticed most, being on the downtown Eastside filming, was in the
alleyways there was a lot of writing on the walls. Most of it said, 'We're
human. We have heart. We feel,' " she said.

"It is a community. It is a neighbourhood. I think everybody does, for the
most part, look out for each other and make sure that everyone's OK. . . .
It is a very real community with a very real problem and there are people
trying to fix it."

The Life was actually shot about two years ago, Down said, and its airing
comes as a relief to the actress.

"I'm glad that they're showing it. You'd hate to work so hard on something
and not have anybody see it."

In a concession to dramatic tension, The Life portrays Arnie's attempts to
document the lives of the addicts as being in conflict with the higher-ups
in the Vancouver police department.

Down met a few of the real officers involved in the Blue Lens project and
said they didn't have a problem with their superiors.

Down has successfully made the transition from stage roles (Hurley Burley,
Death & The Maiden) to guest-starring roles on TV (DaVinci's Inquest, Cold
Squad).

She has also had leading roles in the independent feature films The Good
Burn, Bad Money and Late Night Sessions.

She has recently been working on a second season as a regular on the
Vancouver-shot CBC series DaVinci's Inquest and will be shooting a police
drama TV movie for CTV in Montreal in September.

The Life is the 13th dramatic title in CTV's Signature Series. Previous
titles include Milgaard; The Sheldon Kennedy Story; Dr. Lucille; Blessed
Stranger; Lucky Girl; Stolen Miracle; Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story;
Fast Food High; Prom Queen; and Sleep Murder. Signature titles yet to air
include Selling Innocence and Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story.

Established in 1997, the CTV Signature Series has a stated goal of
developing programming that deals with social issues of national importance.