Living on One Dollar

Following the mold of Morgan Spurlock, 4 college grads spend 8 weeks in the impoverished Guatemalan hills. They live on a dollar a day. An entirely predictable consequence of malnutrition and sickness ensues, while your heart latches on to the children and hardworking townspeople who live in that reality.

On the surface, it'd appear this movie is trying to pull your heartstrings. And perhaps it is. But what is most remarkable about "Living on One Dollar" is how well this little documentary is made. It's narrative is perfectly developed, it's tone perfectly shaped. The pace sails along wonderfully, never getting itself stuck by trying to be overly emotional. The photography is beautiful, too.

If this is what's to come of a generation of young filmmakers, I'm very excited.

This was a very engrossing documentary. I found the method that the filmmakers chose to convey the experience of living in extreme poverty very moving without being overly sentimental. The stories that are highlighted within this documentary are interesting and help frame what potential is lost for lack of sufficient funds. When the documentary was finished I had a greater understanding of the possibilities for change within a direct funding framework vs huge amounts of grants and subsidies being thrown at an issue. I also appreciated that the film does not attempt to state there is just one answer. I look forward to seeing more from this team.

Lets get to brass tacks. The peer reviewed work show the main premise, that "1.1 billion people around the world live on less than one dollar a day" is FALSE. It is a plan and simple lie. The VAST majority of that 1.1 billion are engaged in activities where they earn, create or barter for on average US cost of living equivalent of $50 a day. In this film we see farmers who are growing US equivalent $25 or $50 a day, owning or renting their home for a portion of their farm production, eating that food, and spending the $1 on other. How is someone who is bartering $100 worth of food they grow each month for rent, and eating $10 worth of food they grow each day: "living on $1 a day???" And where is relative cost of living taken into account? Do you know what a pound of rice and a pound of lentils sells for in S.E asia? About 1/15th the cost in the US.

And what is with all the 8-10 star reviews being from single use accounts? Sounds shilly to me.

I was glued to this documentary from the first few seconds. This is a very important story to tell and the filmmakers get it bang on. It really gets you thinking about the world we live in and how harshly people have to live. But it also creates hope for the future and provides inspiration to act. The families that are featured really make the film. I was so interested in seeing how they lived despite how little they have. The filmmakers adopting this way of life makes it all so very real. You can really feel how it would be to live on one dollar a day. When I realized the lack of nutrition options, it really hit home. I have also become so grateful for the clean water that comes out of my tap. I cannot wait until the future episodes are aired.

To all those who rates it extremely low:

"Oh it's just some rich boys condescending toward the extreme poor" - If trying to raise awareness of extreme poverty is condescension, then all charities are to some extent condescending toward the poor as well. The fact is, helping someone in need DOES NOT EQUAL to condescending. And if you've actually finished the film, you should be able to see how much respect the boys are paying to the people.

"Oh they're not replicating the true poverty situation enough" - Yes, perhaps they didn't replicate 100% of real extreme poverty. Yet, is it that necessary? No! I believe the contrast is already there, sufficient to inspire someone who has never seriously imagined what's it like to live on $1 per day, and to raise awareness on what's happening to the everyday lives of 1.1 billion people.

"Rendered the lives of Guatemalan people as two-dimensional" - Dude it's just a documentary under an hour, what do you expect? Too long and people may lose interest and patience to watch, too short and people complain for lack of depth. You really don't need that much "3D character portrayal" to imagine what's it really going on in Guatemala, do you?

All in all, it's an inspiring film that raised awareness of world's extreme poverty through the lenses of first-world kids. Sure, it's not perfect, but it did inspire many who watched it, and it raised a good amount of charity funding as well, I believe. In short, it's making an impact to the world, unlike many blockbusters which simply provided instant gratifications.

If only everyone donates a tiny bit of their monthly salary to a good charity, the poorest would be much better off. We need more films like this.