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80% Critic Match
Two American Families: 1991-2024
8.0 / 10• 2024• 1h 54m•NR• English
Documentary
Storyline
It’s a central premise of the American dream: If you’re willing to work hard, you’ll be able to make a living and build a better life for your children. But what if working hard isn’t enough to get ahead — or even to ensure your family’s basic financial stability? Two American Families: 1991-2024, a special, two-hour documentary filmed over more than 30 years, is a portrait of perseverance from FRONTLINE, Bill Moyers, and filmmakers Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes that raises unsettling questions about the changing nature of the American economy and the impact on people struggling to make a living. This is the saga of two families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — one Black, the Stanleys, and one white, the Neumanns — who have spent the past 34 years battling to keep from sliding into poverty, and who refuse to give up despite the economic challenges that their stories reveal.
Cast & Crew
Bill Moyers
Self
LeadWhat People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Tom Casciato's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Two American Families: 1991-2024 is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
