Filmmaker Statement

A 2021 recipient of the Project ReFrame Stamp for a gender-inclusive crew. The story of America in the 21st century is a story of economic inequality. While the upper classes enjoy next-day retail and app-delivered food, most Americans rely on dollar stores for the staples and little luxuries they can barely afford. On our travels across America, we have seen first-hand that the collapse of brick-and-mortar retail in America has led to an explosion of under-staffed dollar stores like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Many communities rely on these locations as their only retail option. In these dollar stores, we see a warped symbol of the failures of the American Dream. Reporting in outlets like ProPublica and CNN has revealed that working in these stores is absurdly exploitative. A lack of security, inadequate staffing, and desperate customers have created a compelling environment for drama that offers a clear-eyed condemnation of the way of life in America today. In this soul-crush