In 2004, Mark Laita’s chance encounter with the Whittaker family in rural West Virginia led to a profound exploration of isolation and poverty in America. What started as a simple photography project evolved into a deeply human and unsettling documentary. The film revealed the harsh realities of generational hardship and the effects of extreme seclusion. Ultimately, Laita’s work sparked global conversations about empathy, exploitation, and the ethics of documenting marginalized lives.
