A Place at the Table

Filmmakers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush's documentary tackles the subject of hunger in contemporary America, combining archival footage, graphs, and statistics, with interviews of activists, nutritional experts, and politicians—as well as extended portraits of ordinary people struggling with poor diets and food stamps, including Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader; Barbie, a single mother in Philadelphia; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader. A Place at the Table offers more than just a call to action to address a pressing social problem, ultimately mounting a concerted attack on national policies that have not only permitted but exacerbated the situation. The film persuasively argues that while government programs begun in the late ‘60s under Nixon significantly reduced the number of affected Americans over the next decade, political priorities changed starting in 1980, after which the documented number of chronically hungry Americans gradually rose—today standing at some 50 million, many of whom are children. The most powerful segments here are the ones in which the victims of bad policymaking have the opportunity to speak for themselves, underscoring the dire nature of the situation in a way that the mere recitation of facts and figures cannot. Smartly laying out the specifics of the problem while also proposing realistic solutions, this fine, eye-opening documentary is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by filmmakers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, cast and crew interviews (38 min.), deleted interviews (14 min.), deleted scenes (13 min.), an ASX TV-produced featurette (3 min.), promos, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine doc.] (F. Swietek)