Poor Kids

Poor Kids

2011, Society  -   11 Comments
8.13
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Ratings: 8.13/10 from 60 users.

In the U.K., the gap between the rich and poor is growing ever wider. The country's impoverished children are the most vulnerable victims of this divide. The documentary Poor Kids profiles the daily lives and observations of a handful of these children, and sheds light on an escalating epidemic of poverty that afflicts 3.5 million more kids just like them.

The families featured in the film can barely scrape together enough money to eat on most days, much less invest in the kind of recreational activities that every child craves and thrives upon. In place of jungle gyms and swimming pools, these children are forced to invent their own games of play in frequently in abandoned buildings and other unsafe areas. They live in some of the more than 1 million houses in the country that are considered unfit for occupancy. These mold-infested living quarters leave them susceptible to skin infections, respiratory issues, and an assortment of chronic illnesses.

The country is undergoing a severe economic crisis where jobs are increasingly scarce. The filmmakers embed themselves in some of the hardest hit communities, and focus their cameras exclusively on the children who are most severely impacted by this distressing reality.

These kids observe the struggles of their families on a daily basis, and they absorb the insecurities brought forth by a life spent in poverty. Will they still have a place to live the next day? Where will their next meal come from? What will happen when they outgrow their shoes or need new clothes? They witness the joys and luxuries afforded to children with working parents, and they long for a safe haven where they too can experience the freedom to live in their imaginations. But they're well aware of the starkness of their surroundings, and many of them are doubtful that a better life awaits them.

Poor Kids is crucial viewing because it provides an open platform to the oftentimes voiceless victims of poverty. Their insights are frequently moving and revelatory, and should inspire a sense of urgency among those who have the power to enact meaningful economic reform.

Directed by: Jezza Neumann

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Bill Farley
Bill Farley
3 years ago

Sad indeed. However with a background of community advocacy, I'm also interested as to who owns these tenant buildings. How can the government turn a blind eye to mold, damp. drafts, broken windows and the like. The landlords need to be taken to task over these appalling conditions. As a Canadian, I find it shocking that British people allow these awful conditions to exist.

Sully
Sully
5 years ago

Matthew 18:2-6
Chapter Parallel Compare
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Darwin McLeod
Darwin McLeod
6 years ago

Children make me sad to see them in poverty

heykellyurasillykunt
heykellyurasillykunt
6 years ago

obviously it's not free or it couldn't be cut you ***** - friggin mooch

Kelly
Kelly
6 years ago

It amazes me that In the 6th richest country in the world kids go with out dinner and there only source of food is free school lunch which our evil Tory pm
And her government think it's exceptable to cut free school dinners

randa
randa
6 years ago

So sad. I wish poverty didn't impact so harshly, but at the same time, I know my parents came from very poor circumstances and rose above. I certainly learned a life of frugality and have been very fortunate to rise above that life. It took determination and overcoming obstacles, but they shaped how I think, who I am and I am very grateful to have what I need to survive in comfort. God bless these precious people.