Melissa Farmer//Staff Writer
On Oct. 9 in Mattox 104 there will be a screening of What Matters?, a documentary about three men who decide to learn what it is like to live in extreme poverty.
The film is extremely eye opening. It is a film to make one ask themselves “Do I care about what is happening in third world countries? If I do, what am I doing about it?”
The men start out trying to live in American poverty, even then they had dumpsters to eat out of, homeless shelters to stay at, and sidewalks to stand on and beg for money.
David decided to take it a step further and asks the guys if they’re up for a trip to Africa to get a first hand experience of poverty. As they continue on with their journey to Africa they sleep in parks and random places they find around the cities.
Two of the men are Christians and the other is an atheist. There is conflict in the film between them due to differences of attitude and religions.
The film shows the men on their journey, they see what it is like to be homeless in America, and a few other places before they make their long journey to Nairobi.
When the men make it to Nairobi they meet with Tony, a man that David had met on a previous mission trip to Nairobi, who gave them some advice about their time in Nairobi.
The men continue on with their very difficult journey to experience what extreme poverty is truly like. Rob, who seemed to have a bad attitude before leaving for Nairobi, has changed his views and saw it “in a very positive way.”
As they continue to go around the slums and impoverished areas, stepping through piles of trash, fecal matter, and dodging wild animals that roam, they think it would be a good idea to have Dan (the third man who came along) sleep in one of the houses made of mud, sticks and trash to truly understand the poverty the people live in.
Dave and Rob decide to take a plane above the slums of Nairobi to get some better footage. In a dramatic turn of events the plane goes down, both men are rushed to the hospital.
Dan sees the crash and eventually joins them at the hospital to check on them. From here these men have to figure out how they are going to get home, or if they will ever make it.
If you’d like to know how the film ends, go to Mattox 104, Friday at 9 a.m.
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