[... I can't let a month go by without at least one rave instead of my usual weekly rant ... doctor's orders for more balanced mental health ...]
... I have to tell anyone I can. Rich Hill. Find it. Watch it. Process it. (From its Facebook link below, it is playing in select theatres and it can be found on streaming services in case you watch things the way that young people do.)
I had the privilege of seeing it at home a week ago (it was on PBS' Independent Lens and last Saturday's at-home movie night tradition was devoted to a couple of documentaries), and it's filled with the types of stories that will stay with you. In a nutshell, it covers the three young men pictured in the accompanying image ... one dealing with the after-effects of something in his family's recent past (no spoiler here), one dealing with a boy acting out against a mother who seems to struggle to parent him, and one trying to make the best of a family unit always on the move running toward a dream that proves to be elusive.
It's a heart-breaking look at "rural" poverty in a midwestern town in Missouri where coal was once the primary industry. (Although I promised no spoilers in the paragraph above, it would be correct to assume that Rich Hill is not filled with the rich.) Actually, poverty is just the A story ... but upon reflection, it's also just as much about how children are shaped by parenting choices, good or bad ... and about how boys struggle to become men in modern day America dealing with the reality that support, in general, may be fleeting.
Don't worry ... it's not all gloom and doom (which isn't saying that it wouldn't be a good idea to have the tissues handy [quadruple negative alert]) ... especially with the ongoing tale of Andrew. Despite everything that the documentary displays about the life he lives, he has a smile almost every time he is on screen, and he has an approach to what he faces from which we all could learn a thing or two. As depressing as it may be to watch his innocence lost too young, there's an underlying hope always with him that can't be vanquished by adverse situations.
I dare you to watch this and NOT feel ready at the end to follow through and deliver where his father couldn't and provide the $400 Walmart shopping spree that is spoken of as if it is the epitome of a lifelong dream. (Actually, according to the website for the film, donations are accepted and split between the three boys equally. Also ... that same website provides updates since filming stopped.)
Rich Hill. Find it. Watch it. Process it. Let it break your heart. Then have it be your call to action to change this world so that children can remain children for as long as they should and not have to grow up so soon.
Rich Hill. Find it. Watch it. Then spread the word to others to do the same. You won't regret it.
CHECK BACK AFTER FOR UPDATES (AND CONSIDER DONATING):
http://www.richhillfilm.com/
FIND THEATRES AND STREAMING SERVICES ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/RichHillFilm?v=app_599788450050788&app_data=referer_override%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.richhillfilm.com%252F
CATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/09/16/rich-hill
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