Rich Hill
Good or bad? I say or.
Synopsis
Rich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.
Harley
When the documentary began, he was 15. He lives with his grandmother and he has no siblings. His mother is in jail after committed for the attempted murder of Harley's stepfather. Harley is a victim of sexual abuse and nothing has been done about it.
Andrew
When the documentary began, he was 13. He lives with both mother and father and one younger sibling, his younger sister Alyssa. His mother has a problem with pain killers and can't hold a job because of it.
Appachey
When the documentary began, he was 12. He lives with his mother and other siblings. His father left when he was 6 and his mother struggles to make ends meet.
Thesis
The documentary did not showcase the life of someone struggling with poverty because it only showed was how poverty affected those specific young boys, not the families as a whole or others in the area.
Defining the Purpose
The purpose of the film was to give insight to the life of the impoverished. By following 3 young boys living in a lower class community. It follows them throughout moments of their life and they talk about school, family, and everything in between.
Achieving the Purpose
The film did not achieve the purpose of giving insight to the life of the lower class. It focused on the 3 boys and how they dealt with everyday life living how they did. The directors asked the boys a lot of questions and have very long interviews, but it still did not full capture the struggle of living life as a poorer family.
Conclusion
The documentary was very moving and beautiful. People really felt for those young boys and their troubles. It did not showcase the complex living of people of all ages living like those 3 boys did. If the crew wanted to capture the bigger picture, they should have focused on the community of Rich Hill and all who populate it.