Jezza Neumann: It began with us, myself and Lauren Mucciolo, traveling across America, looking to tell the story of child poverty.We were kind of at the beginning, we were looking at traveling, looking at the East Coast, the central belt and also the West Coast. And in that journey of looking at stories and looking at the effects it has on children, we ended up finding Kaylie, and then we met Brittany who was the other child and we realized that actually we could tell the whole story from one place and in documentary filmmaking we always say it's better to have depth than breadth. So, if you could tell a micro story in one place that tells the story of the whole country in a way then that's always better for an audience because you can get cemented in one area. That's when we decided to just to make it from the Quad Cities. And because we were able to tell that story of eviction, loss, food insecurity, sort of every sort of theme that comes into the area of poverty, lack of education, you know, lost school days, those sorts of things. So that's when we then met Johnny and his family in the Salvation Army shelter. We then had three very strong stories being told from one place.
Patrick Center: What does this reveal about the American dream? What does this tell us about the infrastructure of America and the challenges that Americans face?
Jezza Neumann: The interesting thing for me is that when we made the first film, Poor Kids, and that came out in 2012, that was very much a film about child poverty, right? And it covered all the themes I just mentioned. When you fast forward, we dip back in with them with an update in 2017. And then when you look at the film that's coming out tomorrow, this film is like a completely different film in terms of this really does emulate the challenges that face kids as they're growing to young adults. So, we're back with these kids as young adults. And what's the sort of central theme of this film is very much about the PTSD and trauma you face as a child, which then you have to tackle as an adult, which makes the challenges to climb out of what people term the cycle of poverty so much harder. And to try and attain that American dream, you know, you are, you are broken and if you don't have opportunity and money to get therapy or get support or get help. You don't kind of have a mentorship around you because you're you know, you're living in areas where you know, your family doesn't have sort of doctors and lawyers and nurses as other members of your family. So how do you fulfill the aspirations you might have? I mean, there's a poignant moment when Kaylie says, you know, the point of the dream is it gives you the motivation to keep going and it also takes you out of the reality that you're living. And that to me is almost tragic because it's almost an acceptance that those dreams are actually just a way of deferring the reality and not having to live it every moment of every day. But if you think about it, what most people who in middle-class and upper-class society, they're surrounded by a mechanics that helps support their journey. So, if you want to become a doctor, you'll know someone who might work in medicine, who might be able to give you some advice. So, we have that, they don't have that. So, I think this film really shows the mental health cost that you get and explains a lot about poverty and how you get out of the cycle.
Patrick Center: As you've mentioned, you have this ability to fast forward and to watch these children grow up into young adults. Are there support systems out there or is that something that is lacking that the financial resources are not made available through policy? I guess the question does policy matter?
Jezza Neumann: The reality is that this film cuts across several presidencies and up to 14 years. So, what you're seeing is that even with changes in policy, the reality is that we still as a society haven't worked out how to support those in poverty in a way that we can really uplift them to become the members of society they want to become. I mean, people like to say, well, people who are in poverty, they're lazy, they don't, well, that's not true at all. And if you listen to Brittany, she says quite clearly that she wants to climb out. She didn't want to repeat the cycle, but she realizes she doesn't have the skills. You know, and she actually says that. And it is an amazing moment in the film where she actually sits and reflects on herself and why is she where she is? And it's incredibly insightful. And she talks about the fact that she's trying to climb out of this hole, but it's like grasping at tree roots and desperately trying to be, but you just keep falling back down. And I think that's the point is we have to work out as a society. And it's the same in the UK. It's like, how do we create a structure that can stay in place beyond the next change in government or the next policy change? It's like, how do we put things in place that can really support these children through into young adulthood and then further into adults? Because all of them genuinely want to give, you know, they want to be productive members of society. They don't want to be a strain on society. So, it’s how do we do that? And I'm afraid I don't have the answer. It's difficult. It's very hard. I think you kind of need a think tank for it really. And know it's a cross-party thing. For me, I think that we need some sort of structural mentorship because I think that's the thing that really helps kids. It's about how do you mentor someone, you know, how can someone spend some time with someone who does have those skills so that they can help learn what's available. It's like if you went to some areas, you spoke to some kids about maybe being a journalist, it was never in a million years would they ever believe that they could be a journalist or a doctor or whatever. They're sort of stuck in the world where they believe that all they'll ever be is someone working in a service industry of some description. You know, sort of aspirations get set very low very early on. So, it's about how do we raise those aspirations? But in a way that is actually doable because as Kaylie talks about, she's had to realize that while she dreamed about going into medicine at one point, she had to keep checking her dreams. So, they sort of got more practical the older she got, because she says life has a way of teaching you that as an adult, you have to realize that you make concessions, but she hasn't stopped dreaming. Her hope for the future is to become a police officer because she sees that as a really productive job that she could give back and help people. But again, it's, you know, will she make it there? Will she not? It's tough.
Patrick Center: How has this impacted you and what do you hope viewers take from this film?
Jezza Neumann: I've been asked this before, and I thought about it. And I think the thing that I've really taken from this is actually I've learned how to be a better parent because when I was filming with Brittany originally, I went home and I realized that when I'm filming with these kids, I'm spending hours and hours just listening to them. As an adult. I'm not judging them. I'm not parenting them. I'm not telling them they're wrong. I just listen. And I realized as a parent, we never get a chance to do that. We are always, the kid comes home from school and they're telling you a story and you're like, yes, but you need to eat (drink) your tea because you've got to do your homework. You kind of switch on and then the next time you're there telling you something and you're correcting them saying, yes, but you should have done this or should have done that. So, I went home and I actually interviewed my daughter for two hours and I still have that tape today. And boy, did I learn a lot about global warming and the threat to polar bears, which is apparently whirling around in her head. And I had no idea. And then what I've done over the years is checked myself. And I think that's the one thing I can say to people. When you watch the lives of these kids, you know, the thing you can do with your own children is really take time to listen and not always feel you've got a parent. Sometimes you can just listen to them because they've got amazing things to say. And on a sort of thematic side, I hadn't realized how deep the PTSD was that children witnessed and felt going through poverty. So, I've made a lot of films in this area, and no one's ever articulated it in the way that these kids have. And the fact that you're always thinking about, will we have food tomorrow? Will we lose our home tomorrow? We always say kids are sponges. Well, they are, and they're taking that in every single day. And so, if you think about it, it's kind of blindingly obvious that they will carry that unless they get some kind of mental health support that is going to go with them into adulthood. And I think that is the first time I've really seen a strong explanation about what is the cycle of poverty.
Patrick Center: Tonight at 10 o'clock (Tuesday, October 7, 2025) on WGVU Public Television, Frontline premieres Born Poor, director and producer Jezza Neumann. Thank you so much for your time.
Jezza Neumann: Thank you very much.