This documentary is rather unique compared to many others one would run across on Netflix. Instead of a professional crew of trained cameramen, accredited journalists, and videographers, the crew that put this documentary together is simply a group of college friends, who wanted to live out the effects of poverty.

The documentary takes place in Guatemala, where 7/10 of all residents live below the poverty line. In order to simulate poverty in an accurate a way as possible, the friends formulate a plan to live on roughly one dollar each per day. But, as a chaotic twist, they each decide to draw pieces of paper labeled 0-9 each day. The number on the slip is the amount of money that they get each day, although their cash is capped out at roughly $150 for two months (split over four people).

In essence the story follows the lives of these four college kids as they attempt to live as the local Guatamalan community does for a little over two months. The viewer gets to witness the radical physical and mental changes that they undergo throughout this experience, and it leaves a striking image on the mind of the viewer. That is, that it brings the reality of extreme poverty into a medium that the average viewer can connect with.

I really liked this film, that is to say that it proves that even untrained college kids can make a compelling documentary that details a real problem within the world, and the fact that throughout the film it excellently displays the long-term effects of poverty on the filmmakers (while also highlighting the plight of the Guatamalans around them.

Attempting to explain the far-reaching meaning of the documentary would take away from the film itself would just detract from the story, so I encourage the reader to go and give it a watch. Of the many documentaries on Netflix, this is definitely one of the most poignant, and definitely one that garners attention.