Living on One Dollar (2013)

Four young friends set out to live on just $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. Armed with only a video camera, they battle hunger, parasites, and extreme financial stress as they attempt to survive life on the edge.

Directors:

Zach Ingrasci (co-director), Sean Leonard (co-director)

Stars:

Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Temple	...	Self - Filmmaker
Zach Ingrasci	...	Self - Filmmaker
Sean Leonard	...	Self - Filmmaker
Ryan Christoffersen	...	Self - Filmmaker
Anthony Solaris	...	Self - Guatemalan
Rosa Solaris	...	Self - Guatemalan
Rosa Coj Bocel	...	Self - Guatemalan
Chino Coj	...	Self - Guatemalan
Victor Coj	...	Self - Guatemalan
Julio Coj	...	Self - Guatemalan
Estella Coj	...	Self - Guatemalan
Carlos	...	Self - Guatemalan
Jose Enrico	...	Self - Guatemalan
Dona Maria	...	Self - Guatemalan
Don Augustine	...	Self - Guatemalan

Storyline

An award-winning film that has been called "A Must Watch" by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and Director of The Hunger Games, Gary Ross. Living on One Dollar follows the journey of four friends as they set out to live on just $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. They battle hunger, parasites, and extreme financial stress as they attempt to survive life on the edge. An unimaginable reality for most young Americans, the challenges they face are real and plague over 1.1 billion people around the world. While the friends quickly learn there are no easy answers, the generosity and strength of Rosa, a 20 year old woman, and Chino, a 12 year old boy, give them resilient hope that there are effective ways to make a difference.

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Genres:

Documentary | Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

User Reviews

Inspiring and triggers self-introspection

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Guatemala

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Living on One Dollar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Optimist, Creative Visions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Color:

Color