Film critic Roger Ebert described cinema as a machine that generates empathy. Whatever their backgrounds, people can be moved by movies about poverty, starvation and inequality. Movies about poverty reach audiences worldwide and allow them to identify with and empathize with the struggles others face. 

Stories can break through barriers that facts and statistics alone cannot. They can empower people to understand the issues facing this world not only in terms of the devastation caused but also in terms of the individual hopes, dreams and fears of those most affected.

Below are 10 recent and prescient movies about poverty and humanitarian crises across the world.

War Witch (2012)

A Canadian production written and directed by Kim Nguyen, “War Witch” tells its story from the perspective of Komona (Rachel Mwanza), a teenage girl in sub-Saharan Africa who is abducted by a rebel army and forced to become a child soldier. When she miraculously survives an attack, the rebel leader accuses her of witchcraft. Shot primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the film was widely praised for its stark depiction of the main character’s nightmarish circumstances. 

Dheepan (2015)

Winner of the Palme d’Or, “Dheepan” is a film about three Tamil refugees fleeing the civil war in Sri Lanka and finding asylum in France. It draws largely on the experiences of Antonythasan Jesuthasan, a former Sri Lankan militant who plays the main character. The film recounts the struggles of a man still reeling from past traumas and discovering that, even in France, he is not safe from violence or economic hardship. 

The Breadwinner (2017)

While films about poverty typically target an adult audience, “The Breadwinner” is a children’s film. Based on the novel by Deborah Ellis, the Oscar-nominated animation tells the story of 11-year-old Parvana, who lives in Kabul under the shadow of the War on Terror. When her father is unjustly arrested, Parvana finds that she must cut her hair short and dress as a boy in order to provide for her family. Afghan activist Mina Sharifi, director of Sisters 4 Sisters, praised the film for its authentic depiction of life in Afghanistan. 

Capernaum (2018)

This Lebanese film, directed by Nadine Labaki, features a 12-year-old protagonist, Zain Al Rafeea, who grew up in the slums of Beirut and later relocated to Norway as a refugee. His character is a young boy serving a five-year sentence in prison who takes his parents to court, suing them for neglect. The Cannes Jury Prize winner almost feels like a documentary because of the realistic way it depicts the challenges of growing up in impoverished parts of Syria.

Roma (2018)

A semi-autobiographical film by Alfonso Cuarón, this Oscar-winning picture is set in the Mexico City of his childhood. It tells the story of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), the poor Mixteca housekeeper of an upper-class household. A film that looks into the past with the modern day in mind, it explores social inequalities rooted in class and ethnicity. It uses the visual language of epic cinema to bring greater depth to an ordinary, indigent life.

Shoplifters (2018)

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is well known for making socially conscious films about poverty and hardship and “Shoplifters” is one of his strongest efforts. It centers on a destitute family that relies on shoplifting to get by, a practice that binds a small group of poor, vulnerable people into an unlikely family. The story was inspired by real-life reports of increases in shoplifting following the Japanese recession, particularly among pensioners. 

For Sama (2019)

This documentary, filmed and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, offers perhaps the most visceral depiction of war and the poverty it creates in recent cinema. It recounts five years of her life in Aleppo, where she and her husband, a doctor, chose to remain with their newborn daughter, Sama, during the Syrian Civil War. The international attention received by the Oscar-nominated film led to the founding of Action for Sama, a charity devoted to human rights and supporting victims of the Syrian Revolution. 

Parasite (2019)

Class conflict and economic disparity are at the heart of Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner, a dark tale of a low-income family that infiltrates a wealthy household. The twists and turns that follow arise from the trappings of unemployment and poverty, as the poorer characters discover, to their dismay, that the ascent and uplift they strive for will forever remain beyond their reach.

The White Tiger (2021)

Based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Aravind Adiga, “The White Tiger” is a film that aims squarely at the caste system in India and the poverty it perpetuates. The movie tells the story of the lowborn Balram (Adarsh Gourav) and his desperate effort to escape the poverty he was born into and conditioned to remain in. Through Balram, the film offers insight into the psychological effects of poverty as a system that programs its subjects to think of themselves as inferior. 

A Hero (2021)

Directed by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, the hero of this tale is Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he performs an altruistic deed that wins him praise but then lands him in further trouble when complications arise. In a world of poverty, Farhadi’s film poses the question of whether a good deed can truly go unpunished for someone who does not have the luxury of pure, uncompromised intent.

Io Capitano (2023)

An Italian production inspired by migrant journeys from Africa to Europe, “Io Capitano” follows a pair of Senegalese cousins across the Sahara Desert as they seek a better life. Director Matteo Garrone conceptualizes their venture as a sort of odyssey, a quest that is as much spiritual as it is physical. The film is a vivid illustration of the enduring humanity of those who embark on such impossibly difficult voyages to escape a life in which they can see no future.

Final Remarks

Each of these films offers a window into a world and way of life that no one would wish upon themselves. Movies about poverty confront audiences with uncomfortable realities about the world as it exists today and, at their best, can inspire connection and empathy that can then be turned into action.

– Aled Warren

Aled is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

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