I got distracted in the middle of Monday’s two-hour first episode, but this Sutherland guy really knows how to do a documentary.
Chris had 15 assignments to do before he could hope to graduate, but instead of actually doing them, it seemed like he talked himself into failure. He could be worried about losing his SSI check. It wasn’t clear whether the payment stops when he graduates or continues until he’s 21, or finds a job, or what. (That might have been in the part I missed.)
I’m thinking it stops when he graduates – all his mom said was “You’ll do better next year.” The family depends on that money.
Cody’s grandma would drive me nuts, but her constant comments (“Dirty dirty boy” while she’s dusting his room) didn’t seem to bother him. Seems like he appreciates her – he’s definitely more patient with her than most kids would be.
I like both Chris and Cody. Cody wins the prize for speaking clearly without moving his lips. How does he do that?
Here is the skinny. Parts 2 and 3 Tuesday and Wednesday.
I found this show riveting. Fascinating. Horrifying. Every other -ing you could think of.
Chris seems to actually be a sharp kid with a clever turn of phrase. It is a crying shame he can’t push himself to succeed, becuase he seems like a kid who could make something of himself if he wasn’t so scared fo failure.
Cody just seems to be looking for himself. I found him slightly less remarkable.
What really got me was the glimpse into the abject poverty of Chris’s family. This is a world I’ve never seen at first hand. It it seems so cold and dirty and damp. The couch he’s sitting on in one scene, well you can just tell it smells. The smoking makes Chris and his parents so unhealthy, along with poor nutrition. They looked unwashed, the bags under their eyes, their hair, their skin.
I’m the worst kind of classist snob I guess but I had a 2 hour long case of the shudders thinking how damned lucky I am not to be living like that. If that makes me a terrible person, so be it, but thank you Sweet Baby Jesus that is not my life.
Yes, I watched last night and will be watching part 2 tonight. Scary stuff. I agree that Chris seemed pretty intelligent and capable of doing so much more. With all the talk about how he didn’t want to end up like his dad, he sure seems headed that way.
That pig squealing as they tried to get it out from under the trailer was pretty freaky.
He’s very articulate, isn’t he? Is that what it is – he’s afraid to fail?
He has a mental roadblock going on about the driver’s license, focusing on the unfairness of the new law, but not doing what he needs to do to get around it. That’s so familiar – I’ve done it and my kids have done it.
I imagine that teachers get tired and burned out, and they’re not babysitters, but I wanted one of them to do more than just tell him that he was missing assignments. Set him up with a study date, make him stay after school – something.
I can’t wait to see how this turns out, and I’m hoping that both boys overcome. No child left behind, indeed. Some kids aren’t even in the race.
I went to Sutherland’s website, hoping for an update on the farm family from a few years back, but I couldn’t find anything. That film was exceptional too.
Fell asleep watching it last night–but I was able to watch the end on the Frontline Website. They’ll be posting each episode after it airs. There’s also extra clips, interviews with some of the other people in documentary, and a FAQ section if you want to find out how things are working out for Chris and Cody.
Not just financially. Heck, I’ve been poorer than that, and I have relatives who’d consider that trailer a big step up. With or without the pig.
Chris is getting nothing from either of his parents. He’s growing up in an emotional vacuum, and it shows in his personality. He knows all the right words, but it’s like there’s a veil between him and reality. Cody seems much more connected. He relates to people, but Chris is just acting, and everything that happens just bounces off of him.
I got the same thing, AuntiePam. It’s horrible to say, but he got a bit of an abuser/serial killer looks at times, when things didn’t go his way.
The whole time, I just wanted to scoop him and Cody up and send them on a trip around the world then put them in some nice New England university where they could worry about dumb things like keggers and dorm pranks (of course, this is just some stupid naive fantasy and I realize the problem is much more complex). Cody’s girlfriend seems smart (albeit with low self esteem), as do most of the girls on the show- here’s hoping they don’t get knocked up before they can get out of Dodge. Compelling viewing.
Here they are showing it mon - wed evenings, then re-running them one day later late at night. So you can catch it again tues-thurs at 10:30pm or so. Maybe they’re doing that where you live, and you can catch them if you missed them(Yes, I know it’s wednesday already)
Alcoholism seems to be rampant there. And smoking, though it is an alternative school which might account for a big part of that. Cody really seems to have his head on straight, but there seems to be so little opportunity there. Ray Riddle isn’t half bad with music. The website has a video of him singing and video from the show that’s pretty good.
I was confused by the episode with the Yellow Jackets. Chris admits to giving some to the girl (Kim?) but then he says to his mom that her boyfriend gave them to her and he lied about it so he wouldn’t get kicked out of school.
The film, so far, hasn’t shown him actually doing any school work, except for his efforts with the newspaper and the choir. Makes me wonder if the filmmaker didn’t think it was important to the story, or that we’d be bored with it, or whether the kids at the school don’t do much except show up.
I cringed when the science teacher described evolution theory as “Darwin says man evolved from apes.” Well, of course, if that’s all you’re going to say about it, the kids are going to dismiss it as silly. Shame on her.
Agreed on Mr. Riddle’s singing ability. I thought we were listening to a professional, someone who’d been recorded.
I read the FAQ on the website. I hope Sutherland or Frontline or somebody keeps it updated. It’d be nice to see these kids in five years.
Another fantastic documentary from David Sutherland! This one is even better than The Farmer’s Wife, which is saying something. Three years to film, amazing dedication!
A wonderful, poignant look at life in Appalachia. Chris and Cody are fascinating personalities. I truly hope they both make it.
Excellent show. I actually know kids like this. I grew up in a very similar town, except not quite so poor. A lot of my classmates floundered after graduation, and even some of the ones who did have ambitions got taken in by drugs.
I liked both Chris and Cody. Cody seemed belligerent at times, but he’s had a deeply tragic life. It’s amazing he’s as well adjusted as he is. His girlfriend seemed sweet too.
I really related to Chris. I was just like him at that age until I got tired of feeling like a failure. I focused on my strengths and found a new source of pride in my achievements. It’s an addictive feeling and it made me apply myself in ways I hadn’t before. I wasn’t quite so shy around other people, but I know that can be a huge barrier. That kind of anxiety really makes you shy away from any criticism so that you reject whatever opportunities have the potential to backfire on you. It feels like if Chris can find one thing he really loves that he could turn himself around
“Right now I’m on standby. Sort of a mental standby on what I’m going to do for the future. All I want to live for is now. I want to go out. I want to have fun with my friends. I want to be a normal teenager. Not this kid who’s like, “Oh my God, what am I going to do next? What am I going to do next?” No, I want to be free-spirited for a while. I decided I’m going to live for me. Not for anybody else, just for me for once. I mean I’ve done all these things for other people. I lived up to Mitzy’s expectations. I lived up to Danny’s expectations. I lived up to my mother’s, my father’s. Finally I can say “I’ve done enough.” That’s all I want.”
It’s curious that Chris doesn’t see that he did finished school for himself, not for others.
I don’t know when Chris wrote this. Filming started in 1998 – I would hope that these aren’t Chris’s thoughts now. If they are, it looks like he could still use some help. He talks such a good game and he knows the system – I wonder if he’d make a good school guidance counselor someday. (?)
He sounds a lot like my daughter. She started working at 16 but always quit jobs in the summer, because “summer’s for fun.” She didn’t buckle down until she was 25 and went back to school for an AA degree. Achievement did the trick, and she’s been self-supporting for the last 15 years.
I’m glad that the SSI program helped this family – I’d hate to think where they’d be without it.
I’m loving this show as I’m related to a lot of people who are very much like Cody and Chris. Last night, as the final shot pulled back from Chris’ mom’s trailer… you could clearly see: one of those cheap, above-ground, PVC swimming pools, and a trampoline.
Why, why, oh why? Chris can barely afford to give his dad $2 for booze, McDonald’s is a Night Out/Treat for these people, but they have a trampoline.
I have a college degree, a relatively privileged life, a great job, own my own home, and I don’t have a f***ing trampoline. I realize these things could have been gifts, but if you cared enough about these people to buy them large gifts like that, wouldn’t you give them something far more practical and useful? Like, a computer, for example. A cheap little Dell would be a godsend, in terms of helping these people with resources. (I’m not saying they could use it. But I’m quite sure Chris and/or Cody would figure it out.) I went to bed last night, trying to figure out how and why they have a freaking trampoline. I’m not judging; it just makes no sense to me. If I had to scrounge under the car seats looking for enough change to buy cigarettes (which I have done on more than one occasion), I never once came into a chunk of money and bought a trampoline.
Anyone know why Mitzi Crisp (I love that name, can I change my username?) quit? Too bad, I hate to see Chris tonight without here (But I DID see the previews).
They do have a little girl in that family, so I bet she loves the trampoline. I bet they didn’t buy it new, or spend a lot of money on it either. I don’t know ANYONE who has ever had a trampoline.
There are lots of trampolines around here, but I’ve never seen any of them being used. They’re a mystery to me too.
I missed the final episode. Had to be gone and could only record one show, and it was a hard choice, but I recorded Lost. I’ll catch Country Boys via the website, I guess.
I know from last night’s previews that Chris and Cody graduated. Did anything else of note happen?
I really want to like this show, but I really fell like I’m watching “Hillbilly Spinal Tap”. The whole thing just seams to spiral out of control into unrealality. It has a scripted feel at times.
I really don’t like either kid. Chris is a lazy shiftless blamer and Cody is plain ignorant. I forsee a long, hard pull for both these losers.
I dig Ray’s house. Looks pretty cool, but you know it stinks like hell in there.
I have a trampoline.
Got it from the new neighbors. It came with the house next door. Six years ago when we moved here, we saw it in the back yard. I remarked to my wife that I that would be a stupid thing to have and that I bet nobody ever used it.
Damn! Those kids were on that thing nearly EVERY DAY! My favorite was Christmas a few years back. The kids got Razor Scooters. And they were JUMPING ON THE TRAMPOLINE WITH THEM!!
Damn, Chris blew it. He had a chance to go to college with tuiton and board paid in full, but he backed out. Why? - Because he needed to work to pay for his car?! The real reason, I suspect, is because of his fear of failure in school. Despite his obvious intelligence, he just doesn’t have confidence in himself.
Man, that was hard to watch. I was the exact same way when I was his age.
Cody seems to be happy and doing well. That was great to see.
Ray Riddle needs to be signed to a recording contract.
