A chronicle of the lives and economic struggles of two families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — one Black and one white — across more than three decades, this “knockout documentary” (The New York Times) raises unsettling questions about the changing nature of the American economy.
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“Two American Families: 1991-2024” documents the saga of two families, the Stanleys and the Neumanns, who have spent the past 34 years battling to keep from sliding into poverty, and who refuse to give up despite upheaval in the U.S. economy. When the team first began documenting the families’ lives in 1991, the Neumanns and Stanleys were both struggling to adapt to a new, global economy and the trend towards part-time, lower-wage work.
With profound intimacy, the documentary follows the stories of the Stanleys and the Neumanns across six presidential administrations and offers a powerful window into how they and their now-grown children have fared while trying to stay afloat in an economy that has presented challenge after challenge for them.
“There are so many people struggling the same way with the cost of everything and not getting enough on your paycheck to cover your monthly expenses,” said Terry Neumann, who was a mom of young kids when the documentary’s producers began filming with her and is now in her early 60s. “It’s like we haven’t come very far.”
“I won’t give up,” said Jackie Stanley, who is working as a real estate agent while entering her 70s.
“Two American Families: 1991-2024” is a FRONTLINE production with Okapi Productions LLC and Public Affairs Television, Inc. in association with Left/Right Docs. The producers and directors are Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes. The co-producer is Andrew Fredericks. The senior producers are Frank Koughan and Nina Chaudry. The writer is Kathleen Hughes. The correspondent is Bill Moyers. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and airs nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Prologue
03:58 – How Changes in the American Labor Market in the Early ‘90s Impacted Some Families
16:19 – How the Financial Struggles of Parents Can Affect Their Children
35:02 – As Demand for Skilled Labor Increased in the Mid-90s, Wages Remained Low
47:08 – Why Some Working Families Continued to Face Financial Hardships Despite a Booming Economy in the Late ‘90s
1:01:48 – How Economic Changes in the Early 2010s Affected Families Already Struggling to Make Ends Meet
1:11:09 – Some Challenges Children From Income-Insecure Households Have Faced as Adults
1:23:08 – How Tax Cuts for the Wealthy, Inflation and Other Economic Shifts Have Affected Some Working Families Now Reaching Retirement Age
1:52:18 – Credits
