User reviews

What a wonderfully humbling & memorable documentary! I watched this along with an entire high school campus in our attempt to share with teens what true poverty looks like. This documentary does not try to overdo anything. It's simple, concise, and impactful. It's a piece that gives one a new perspective in how to look at life and the hardships that we all have to endure. If one thinks his/her life is hard, this documentary may very well serve as a starting point to help an individual see that most hardships that many of us perceive truly do pale in comparison to what over 1 billion people in the world have to live with everyday. It's a great documentary to share with people regardless of age, race, gender, and class level. Watch it and tell people about it. Perhaps, together, many more people will become compassionate enough to help others who truly need our help.

You can take this for what it's worth. Some of the IMDb critics make good points, some just reveal their inner hang-ups. Yes, two college kids decide to "go for it" in a poor land. Good for them. Yes, they did not work but made a budget to simulate life in poverty on a buck a day. I also felt like they had a cushion called a bank account. They at least strove for integrity with the paper number each day.

This did lack depth of character. They discussed these people had much more going than what the surface showed, but did not go there. Mistake. They are college kids, not Spielberg! If you take what they gave us, work with it. They at least did something and need credit for that! Bottom line is those in the States are like the frog in water. We are boiled to death in Western culture and those in "poverty" have far greater riches which should have been the focus.

Relationships are more solid over there. Male-female roles not confusing. Walk by faith a daily occurrence. When you have little, people are what matters. We have lost most of this in the USA. People are so consumed in their own lives (technology has made life worse relationally) that they do not trust anyone and live shallow, desperate lives by being busy to drown out the loneliness. When life crashes in, who do you call? We call 9-11, they call each other. Don't get me wrong, we are blessed, but we don't need each other anymore like they do.

So who truly is more rich?

I'll start with some positives- it was insightful to see how the locals live, and their daily struggles. A completely different way of material living, even though we all have the same fundamental human needs and aspirations.

Some negatives- I felt the guys were quite naïve and underprepared. A lot of the "profound" things they learned were really obvious, and not at all fleshed out by the format or execution of their experiment. A longer stint, involving real subsistence farming or laboring could have provided more context. Just starving themselves on bananas and beans couldn't possibly achieve much.

Nevertheless, it was reasonably entertaining to watch and I'm glad they mixed well with the local population and spent time telling their stories. I particularly found it interesting how there was a real community and family spirit that is dying in modem consumer society so it was good that this was highlighted by this short documentary...

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.

Poverty has been a big issue since humanity has started. Four young college students go to Guatemala city over the summer to get the experience of living on one dollar each day. The documentary discusses how families fight for survival. Different locals are interviewed from all ages to talk about how they manage to live or make money under tough conditions. Many heartwarming and tragic stories were told. Living On One Dollar is suitable for every person that wants to learn something new and get motivated to help those in need. The families were so welcoming and kind to the students even though they didn't have much to offer. The world would be a much better place if everyone started loving and respecting each other. Overall, the documentary is inspiring, eye-opening, and pure.

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.

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.

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.

I want to start off by saying that I don't know anything about film making as some of the other reviewers, BUT these 4 young men did a great job with this film. I did not lose interest once. I feel this is great documentary for all young teens and adults as well to watch. I feel that we as Americans get so caught up our daily activities and all of the opportunities that we get on a daily basis that we forget how the majority of this world really lives. I think that this movie was very inspiring and really motivated me to want to do more. I try already to help the needy, but I don't feel that I am ever doing enough. Thank you to the young men who made this, I am happy to share this with my children and other family members. We are so fortunate to live where we do and get the opportunities that we have. I also think that in making this documentary that these young men made more than a little difference in the lives that they filmed and the lives of those watching. It really does only take one to make a difference, no matter how small someone feels that difference was.

I really felt this could have been powerful, however I felt this was really just a shallow portrayal by a bunch of kids with little to lose. This really could have been very powerful if they had spent a year, rather than eight weeks. I never felt like they were really doing anything more than a peace corps volunteer might have experienced over a much longer period of time.

Frankly it felt like a bunch of rich kids trying to feel better about themselves. If they were really trying to survive they would have taken their radish harvest and seriously tried to sell it to the indigenous culture. Giving it away just proved that in the end they could rely on the bank account set up by their parents. I am not impressed.

It just had no impact with me.

Sorry

This movie is absolutely remarkable. It opens the eyes of viewers to look past the place that they live and realize that even on your hardest day, you can still have it better than others. I absolutely loved it the first time I watched it, and the 4 times after that as well. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I may not be able to change the entire world but if I can just change one person's world that is good enough for me and I want to spend the rest of my life doing so. Thank you for the inspiration and a view of true humanity. God Bless everyone involved in the production of this film.

Sincerely,

A 15 Year Old Viewer

Living on One Dollar (2013)

** (out of 4)

Four friends traveled to a rural part of Guatemala where they try to survive on what's basically less than one dollar. The extreme poverty of the area is the main focus of this documentary.

I'm sure everyone involved with this documentary had great intentions but the end result just didn't really work with me. I couldn't help but feel that this film was done by privileged people with money who wanted to go shine a light on poor people. I'm sorry but I just never felt like I was watching something real and instead it just seemed too hokey and fake.

Perhaps I'm 100% wrong. Heck, I might be since I've never been to this location or worked with any of these people. With that said, if what I was watching was real then it just didn't come across that way on screen. The film really did seem to be scripted as we get the good stuff, we get the drama, we get the downfall, we get the miracle that saves the day, we get another tragedy and then the happy ending. It just never did work with me.

Having traveling and worked in Guatemala for the past 5 years, I was amazed at how real and compelling this film was. It's not often that someone can truly capture the heart behind what it's like to live in poverty, but these 4 brave, young men did a fabulous job bringing it to life. Our 4 children were all inspired and went away wanting to do something to help alleviate poverty. They began selling beaded key chains made by the women of Guatemala and in just one week, they collected over $450. They were so excited to go to www.mayanfamilies.org and purchase water filters so kids wouldn't have to drink from the dirty pipe anymore. Great job guys! Thanks for helping us all to see the heart behind the courageous people who live this way everyday.

I have found no reason do discount any stars from this. It was honest, eye opening, and great. Completely recommend watching

Breathtaking. That's the word I can think of. I came across "Living on One" in my Spanish class and it's safe to say that throughout the entire length of the film not one student could take their eyes from the screen. It takes a lot of get the attention of 20 teenagers but this film did it. It captures poverty in its most raw state and beautifully embeds the emotion within it. It challenges superficial representations of third world nations and sheds light on nothing but the truth. It will change how you view your life. Incredibly humbling, a must watch.

This is the only film that I've wanted to write a brief review. I shall skip over any shortcomings as I am sure there will be plenty of people willing to write about them.

I congratulate these four guys for a brilliant piece of work, an excellent project. It is well filmed, high quality work, and something I would recommend to others.

I gave this a ten out of ten. Yes its a film project, but much more than that. They have put their money where their mouth is, something that few have done. I really enjoyed the story. I found it thought provoking and well considered.

Thanks for making this. Quite possibly the best bit of TV I have seen in years. Well done.

These two Liberals were condescending right from the beginning. How many times did they have to say "extreme poverty" ? Their solution ? to give loans to the villagers !!! All of a sudden, optimistic music, the sound effect or a cash register ringing as it shows the loans each villager recieved. If they are in extreme poverty, Liberals decide it is a good solution to add a load around their neck to have to pay back ? That is no solution. These two virtue signallers paraded around thinking they did good by kicking a football around with poor dirty street urchins or organised debts for villagers. Virtue signaling rubbish