To Render a Life is the first feature film made about Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, a book that documented the lives of three poor cotton farmer families in Alabama in 1936. The film is a portrait of a contemporary poor rural family living under similar conditions. The filmmakers spent three years filming a family near the edge of survival in America, resulting in a unique and detailed portrayal. The film also explores the making of documentary art and features renowned writers and documentary artists.
To Render a Life
The film tells the gripping story of a family's struggle to persevere in a rural setting, evoking the hardships faced by sharecroppers during the Great Depression.