Monday, September 29, 2014

Never have I seen film that displays the heartache and passion of childhood as well as Rich Hill does. Following three young boys on their journey through the economically depressed town of Rich Hill, Missouri, co-directors Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo imbue their documentary with heart and soul, never pandering to the misfortunes of their protagonists. In doing so, they make a strong statement on how today’s children will inherit, and one day, lead this country through its various obstacles, albeit while not given the tools and the education to do so.

The film centers on Andrew, Appachey, and Harley, all of whom live in Rich Hill, a struggling former coal town near the Kansas border. 

The camera follows these three young men, covering their disjointed lives and day-to-day struggles. The overall picture that Tragos and Palermo paint is not always easy to watch. These boys have to deal with real, heartbreaking concerns - desperate family situations, job instability, and mental illness. Beneath the surface, however, there is a beauty in the storytelling of these three young Missourians. They strive for success and to find the “American Dream,” a not-uncommon pursuit in this country’s current economic landscape.

Appachey, the youngest of the three, is an aggressively angry young boy who lives with his mother and siblings in a very modest home. Harley, the oldest child, lives with his grandmother. When you find out the backstory as to why his parents are absent, you will become closer in spirit to Harley, even as his actions become more distressing. Andrew seems to have the more stable life of the three boys, but that is not saying too much, as his family is constantly moving from place to place to allow his father to find a better job. His sweetness and optimism carries the film in its most dire of moments.

It is important to always remember that this documentary centers on three young kids, all dealt a poor hand in one way or another. We often hear politicians discuss what kind of America we will hand over to our children. The often bellowed philosophy, that we want our kids to have more than we did, to build on the success that our nation’s mothers and fathers worked hard to achieve, is very evident during this film.

Tragos and Palermo offer a very lyrical and poetic style of filmmaking, shifting effortlessly between these three stories, capturing the beats and grace notes of daily life. The cinematography by Palermo is breathtaking in its grasp of small town America – the places that it make it at once memorable, but also melancholic.

You can tell that Tragos and Palermo (cousins whose parents grew up in Rich Hill) care deeply about this town and its people, but that doesn’t prevent them from crystallizing the stark reality these boys face each day. Those that watch this powerfully engrossing documentary arrive at a place of solemn reflection for our future, hoping for the best for these three growing boys who will soon become men, but fearing the consequences if we do nothing as a culture to support those with the determination and grit to better their circumstances, but only lack the opportunity.