Impoverishment and Marginalization

Running head:FILM ANALYSIS Film Analysis Name of the student Name of the university Author Note FILM ANALYSIS 1 Introduction: Impoverishment and marginalization have major socio-economic issues in the United States. According to the analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019 approximately 34 million population has been considered impoverished, which is 10.5% of the national population (debt.org, 2021). The Public Broadcasting Services, a non-profit enterprise of America, has created a documentary known as Poor Kids, which conserves three children: Brittany, Kaylie, Johnny, whose families have been living in poverty (Frontline PBS, 2020). In the subsequent studies, the paper has critically evaluated the Poor Kids and analyzed the socio-perspective of the film. Discussion: Reflection: Poor Kids, as the name implies, reflects the unique perspective of a child towards the consequences of poverty. After watching the film, I have endured that a child gets most affected by the financial instability of the family. In the film, Brittany who is a nine-year-old girl lives with her family in a small house. During the documentary, she has proclaimed that she feels embarrassed and fear living in a smaller house. She misses the healthy meals with her family and waits till every Friday when the nutritional club of the school provides a bag of nutritional meals to the socio-economically backward students. Her parents, especially her mother suffers from cognitive and corporeal disorders. They have to rely on the nutritional meal box from school to captivate essential nutrients. With the picturization of Brittanys family, I have understood that they are frightened to confront their future due to the contemporary sufferings and financial instability. Another girl, Kaylie lives with her brother and her single mother. Their situation is far worse than a film can cover. Her mother is on the anti-depressant pills and does not have enough money to live in a smaller house, hence they have moved to a motel room. Due to the residential instability, Kaylie and her brother have FILM ANALYSIS 2 not been enrolled in the school yet. I have seen several times during the film, she has mentioned that she wants to get good educational facilities to captivate potential employment opportunities. Moreover, I have noticed that Kaylies family does not get any governmental or non-governmental support or assistance. Johny, another child of the fil, lives with his parents and siblings in a Salvation Army homeless shelter. The family has strictly abode the rules to persistently obtain the meals and retain the shelter. Since, the juvenile age, Johny has understood that good grades are significant to prosper in life. He conserves dreams to play football and go to university. I acclaim the optimistic vision of Johny as he stays positive no matter what. The film depicts the core reality of American society and its impoverished subsistence. I am astonished to see their enthusiasm and encouragement to alleviate poverty and embrace a new life. Though they have been losing their homes, they remain hopeful for a better future. In the midst of unemployment, cognitive disorder, hunger, residential instability, they want to break the string of poverty and live a better life. Analysis: Unemployment and financial instability are the two prime indicators of impoverishment. From the documentary, it can be apprehended that the financial condition of the families restrains the educational and employment opportunities of the children. Persistency of such a situation fuels the growth of criminality and unethical activities with the children which may hinder their future optimistic vision. Poverty develops two classified impressions: individualistic and social (bcmj.org, 2016). The persistency of a poor state will eventually hamper the cognitive and corporeal wellbeing of the children. Lacks of essentialities increase the risks of environmental contamination. In the film, it has been depicted by every child that they feel embarrassed to live like this. The embarrassment increases risks of emotional behaviors, like impulsiveness, depression, aggression, anxiety, low self-esteem. Moreover, from a social perspective, poverty triggers the engagement of FILM ANALYSIS 3 risky behaviors. It influences criminality and creates a pessimistic impression on academic achievement. To conclude the cycle of poverty, the government of the United States must concentrate on providing adequate information to the children under the poverty line to support them in finding potential occupational opportunities, so that they can lead a healthy lifestyle (nih.gov, 2020). Conclusion: Hence, it can be said that poverty and its effect on children is a serious social issue in the United States. The documentary of PBS reveals the core socio-economic condition of the nation. However, the government of the United States has implied several policies which have supported the lifestyle of the thee children which can be seen in the updated version of the documentary. Being a viewer of Poor Kids, I have captivated the intimate idea regarding their personal growth and struggle to cope up with the pace of society. As the paper has reached a cohesive conclusion, it can be said that Brittany, Kaylie, and Johny from Poor Kids have shown the significance of hope despite the circumstances. FILM ANALYSIS 4 References: bcmj.org (2016) Childrens mental health: is poverty the diagnosis? https://bcmj.org/sites/default/files/BCMJ_Vol58_No8_Children-mental-health- poverty%20%28ID%20106172%29.pdf debt.org (2021) Poverty in the United States https://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in- debt/poverty-united-states/ Frontline PBS (2020) Poor Kids (Full documentary) | Frontline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQvetA1P4Yg nih.gov (2020) Poverty and mental health: policy, practice and research implications https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7525587/