Depictions of the lower class in media, particularly
television and cinema, need the right framing to truly work. Too far in one
direction, it devolves into tragedy porn meant to appeal to those in
moderately-better living conditions to reassure them that, don’t worry, you’re
doing better than some people out there. Too far in the other direction,
it generates apathy towards the subject, turning what should be a wake-up call
for a prospective audience into a reason to continue not caring about such
things. This film, the sophomore feature from budding Canadian director and
original Pink Power Ranger Amy Jo Johnson deftly avoids the latter, due in part
to how readily she skewers the former.
