Just Getting By, a new documentary film by Bess O'Brien focused on Vermonters struggling with food and housing insecurity will tour Vermont from March 22-April 12th. The movie will play the Latchis Theatre on Sunday, March 31, at 7 p.m.
The film is described as "a sweeping and yet intimate look at the lives of Vermonters who are struggling with food and housing insecurity. Vermont has the second-highest rate of homeless people in the United States, right after California. One third of Vermonters struggle to put food on the table. These are big issues for a small state. Just Getting By focuses on these issues in the lives of everyday people."
Just Getting By tells the stories of working families who are homeless and accessing food shelves and soup kitchens and people who are living in temporary hotel/motel programs. In addition, the film focuses on New Americans grappling with the cost of living in America, Native people creating innovative farming practices, and folks on the ground providing services to their fellow Vermonters in need. It explores the challenges and incredible resiliency that low-income Vermonters bear witness to every day.
The film was shot during 2022–23 by director O'Brien and cinematographer Patrick Kennedy.
"We wanted to capture the day-to-day lives of Vermonters who were living paycheck to paycheck and who were struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their head," O'Brien said in a news release. "We also wanted to show the incredible resiliency and courage of folks who have very little and still manage to get up every day and strive for a better life."
She said their hope is by touring the film across the state, they can raise consciousness about pressing issues of food and housing insecurity.
The movie is produced by Kingdom County Productions. There will be a Q & A session after the screening of the movie with O'Brien, folks from the movie, and audience members.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit kingdomcounty.org or email O'Brien at [email protected].
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.