preview

Living On One Dollar

Decent Essays

“Living on One Dollar” (2013) is a film directed by Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci with the help of their two friends, Sean Leonard and Ryan Christoffersen that explores the impact of poverty in a Guatemalan village. The directors are college graduates who immersed themselves into the village of Peña Blanca to get a first hand experience living in poverty by only allowing themselves fifty-six dollars to survive for their fifty-six days. The hardships of insufficiency and lack of resources are portrayed in this social informative piece that highlights the distinctions of what is abundant, but taken for granted in First world countries and what is cherished, yet sparse in Third world countries. This film utilizes a variety of shots, voice-over …show more content…

The techniques they used documented the endurance of Guatemalan families trying to live their lives one day at a time and the reactions and feelings of the Chris and Zach. In order to do so, interviews are needed. In one scene, they interviewed a man named Victor Coj who struggles financially because he does not have a set job, which means a lack of steady paychecks. He spoke about his family and how his children did not have energy to play because he could not afford nutritional food for them. They also interviewed Rosa, a teenage girl who started her own weaving business in order to help pay for her education. These interviews are informative and offer a glimpse into the lives of hardworking, hopeful people. The film purposefully depicts the interviewees in their natural environment, to show their true selves. The interviewees share to the audience not only their struggles, but also how they overcame it or how they are trying to overcome it. The interviews educate individuals about a culture and lifestyle that is hard to imagine while captivating the audience and creating an everlasting effect of drama and reality upon the whole

Get Access