Could you change your life in just 30 days? That’s the question documentary maker Morgan Spurlock asked when he filmed his new TV series, 30 Days. Martin Grady reviews the first program of the series, 30 Days on the Minimum Wage.
Spurlock, who is most famous for Supersize Me, his movie about the dangers of eating junk food, became frustrated that few people know about poverty in America. He and his fiancee, Alex, decided to film an experiment. They’d give up their jobs for a month and try to live on the minimum wage. The resulting documentary, which was filmed reality-show-style using a handheld camera, contains a powerful social message about the growing gap between the rich and poor in the US.
The couple travel to Columbus, Ohio, one of the poorest cities in the US. The only apartment that they can afford to rent is filthy, in a dangerous area, and has no furniture. The heat doesn’t work very well, so they’re often cold. Alex begins working as a dishwasher, while Morgan does construction work with no safety equipment. Neither of them earns more than the minimum wage.
It’s difficult to watch Morgan and Alex struggling in such terrible conditions. A charity gives them some furniture for free, but they have to live without reliable heat, TV, or telephone. They’re exhausted all the time and begin to argue about money. The couple interview people in the same situation and listen to their stories. It’s difficult to imagine, but these people have lived on the minimum wage for decades and many have children.
When Alex gets sick and Morgan badly injures his wrist, they go to a free clinic but can’t see a doctor because of long lines. People there say that without free medical care they’d die.
After 30 days, Morgan and Alex have spent over $1,000 more than they have earned, mostly because of the medical expenses. They are shocked. They can go back to their comfortable life in New York, but what if they couldn’t? How would they continue to survive?
At the time of Morgan and Alex’s experiment, minimum wage in the US was $5.15 an hour.