'The Divide' is more a collage of story and opinion than a structured documentary with a conclusion as to how we solve the issue of economic inequality. Inspired by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett's book 'The Spirit Level', which examines the road to social equality, common misconceptions and the general outcome of those misconceptions - The film is perhaps a little more abstract.
Director / Producer Katharine Round shared; 'I didn't want to be overly demonising of those at the top' and that instead 'I wanted to get into the psyche of how their social position made them
feel'.
So, it was never intended to necessarily to provide answers to the growing economic disparity, but more to identify how the social position we find ourselves in, can begin to determine our outlook, our confidence and our self-belief.
The film focusses on two nations, the UK and the US, which to me seemed at times a limiting choice. If we are to truly examine economic inequality then I think contributors needed to vary more drastically in location. I would at least like to know the reasoning behind selecting contributors from these two countries alone. However, with it's intended audience, perhaps it was to ensure that we could identify with the struggles on screen.
There were a few stand out stories for me, but I think also that there were too many contributors to really identify with. Although the idea was to arrange evidence on various levels of the social ladder, it made it hard for the audience to truly connect with any individual. There were moments that inspired some emotion in me, but I cannot recall their names, so perhaps the idea was not that we relate with a single stand out character, but instead relate to a
part of the story in
all of them.
I know there have been times in my own life where I have identified with feelings of being on top, and perhaps more frequently, being at the bottom. Round shared, 'If you're at the bottom of the pile, you're more likely to suffer depression' and I did, when I was struggling to earn enough money to live in the UK capital. It's a time where you're not quite sure if you're ever going to get the wage you need, and a time that forces you to make decisions that strain every other part of your identity; relationships, hobbies, dreams - they're all put on hold until you've earned enough to pay the rent. I identify with that, but I also identify with the part of me that will one day want to provide for my family, to provide safety and security and be happy in my career, with a fair wage. The film managed to capture both ends of the spectrum without, as Round intended, demonising either.
The film gives a very real analysis and although I really would have liked to draw some conclusion from it it was interesting and fulfilling nonetheless. We are all aware that social inequality exists, that economical disparity is growing and 'The Divide' successfully drew our attention to those characters that made the facts we read so often, come alive.
Visit the website for information on taking action:
http://thedividedocumentary.com/take-action
