Rich Hill

Greetings again from the darkness. Boo, Hiss to Poverty. Nobody likes poverty and it's one of the more popular topics for political lip service. Poverty also happens to be a frequent topic of documentary filmmakers. A prize winner at Sundance, co-directors (and cousins) Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos brought their film to the Dallas International Film Festival.

The film focuses on three adolescent boys living in poverty stricken Rich Hill, Missouri (population 1396). Andrew is a sweet, athletic likable kid living with a medicated mother and dreamer dad (who can't keep a job, and sees no real need to try). Appachey is a chain-smoking, anger-riddled boy living in an out of control house. He struggles with authority and structure and freedom, and well everything else too. Harley is the oldest of the three boys and lives with his grandmother, while his mom is in prison after a committing a very violent and personal crime ... one at the core of Harley's behavior disorders.

If that last paragraph sounds depressing, you are both right and wrong. Somehow, despite the situations that these boys are in, there is always a flicker of ... not really optimism, but at least hope. This is the way to learn about the effects of poverty. Governmental statistics mean little, but the smile of Andrew means everything ... even as his father moves the family once again. The interconnection of parenting, schooling and the judicial system is on full display here, as is the healthcare system and the importance of hope and attitude. You will feel for each of these boys, and be forced to wonder how to make things better.

I tried watching this before but could only get through like 20 minutes of the film. Very Depressing watching people live in these conditions, especially children. The United States gives other countries millions of dollars a year!! WRONG! Why can't we help people like this here in our own country? Anything to give them a boost, head start, whatever you want to call it? It was a great documentary and well made. Hopefully these families have received some help or have had help to pull them up out of the slump they're in??

Every country has this equivalent of society, which makes this a sort of compulsory viewing.

It's a sobering, depressing look at life in a small American town. Rich Hill, Missouri gives a glimpse into a way of life for many, while also never displaying an agenda. It focuses on 3 young boys and their families.

It's thought provoking stuff. It's real snapshot-of-life type film-making. It can be frustrating, annoying and just plain sad at times. But that is life itself.

If there was ever a documentary well-deserving of a sequel, it would be this one. I can't help but wonder where these kids are now, how they are doing, and whether they have been able to overcome some of their challenges.

This movie is well made and shines a non-judgmental light on what everyone knows is a big problem in Missouri and the nation. I think everyone knows people like this in whatever community you live in. Should these people be judged? What is the takeaway here? I do feel sorry for these kids living in abject poverty, with no way to better themselves... Who is at fault for this. Not the kids. Tobacco. Alcohol. Drug abuse. It's like the parents are physically present, but have a maturity level that is even lower than their kids. I don't know what this movie is really about, but it's 100% true, and it's kind of troubling to watch.

"Rich Hill" intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.

The camera could have been pointed at just about any city in America, whether in the Midwest or otherwise. But the fact this place is called "Rich Hill" and the story focuses on poverty gives it a certain kind of irony.

This documentary is not pretentious and not inherently political. Some will want to put a political spin on it one way or another with their commentary about poverty in America and how to fix it (or how people get there in the first place). Some might even say this is not real poverty, as these kids are still getting by. But this is a snapshot of America circa 2014, and one that will hopefully look better in another decade.