The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan

The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan

&
| 27 min

This short documentary follows Jimmy Quinlan, one of the estimated 5000 men and women who lived in the streets and alleys of Montreal in the late 1970s. The film casts a harsh light on the realities of life on the street, as Jimmy battles his addictions; sobriety is a goal he's tried to achieve before and will probably have to try again. In and out of shelters, Jimmy's life is anything but stable, but his unique personality shines through in this affecting portrait.

This film deals with mature subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised

Pedagogical evaluations and study guides are only available to CAMPUS subscribers.

CAMPUS

Features designed specifically for teachers. Learn more

Already subscribed? Sign in

Credits
  • producer
    Robert Duncan
    Janice Brown
    Andy Thomson
  • director
    George Mihalka
    George Williams
  • script
    Robert Duncan
    Janice Brown
    Andy Thomson
  • editing
    Robert Duncan
    Janice Brown
    Andy Thomson
  • executive producer
    Peter Katadotis
  • photography
    Rodney Gibbons
  • sound
    Donald Cohen
  • sound editing
    Abbey Jack Neidik
  • re-recording
    Michel Descombes
  • narrator
    Earl Pennington

Related Films

See also
Health and Medicine
Social Issues
All subjects
The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan
Also available
DVD
Add a new comment
  • MarleneFul

    The Mission is an amazing part of the city that has helped so many people.

    MarleneFul, 21 Sep 2019
  • hudgeliberal

    Great little documentary. Always so interested in the homeless, most cases are due to severe mental illness or addiction disease. Thank you to NFB for all the great content here....veritable mish-mash of quality film

    hudgeliberal, 2 Aug 2016
  • Migeycan

    They all have such Irish second names.

    Migeycan, 8 Apr 2014
  • sixam

    He's 38? He looks more like 68. Where do they get money for cigarettes?

    sixam, 10 Feb 2014
  • Brents

    The problem of alcohol has been around since time began..It seems may of these guys were from the Maritimes..I wonder what took them to Montreal? Overall a very good documentary.I hope they keep it around..

    Brents, 5 Jun 2010

Embed this code on your site

The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan, George Mihalka & George Williams, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Video player width

by Reset

Explore

The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more