The Homestretch (2014)

Three homeless Chicago teenagers seasoned by rejection and life on the streets defy the odds to create a future, finding sympathy and support in surprising places. The filmmakers follow aspiring actor Roque, poet/painter Kasey, and Anthony, a rapper, poet and entrepreneur, into the haunting underworld of children cast off by broken or unfit families and left alone to navigate the perils of poverty and predation. As the three tenaciously fight for an education and eventual independence, the film powerfully explores surrounding issues of race, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights.