Brian and Austin in front of wall street.
Two brothers take a road trip across America to make a documentary.
Austin Chu was laid off in December of 2008. Instead of dwelling on the disappointments of unemployment, Austin took inspiration from it. Driven by this new purpose, Austin recruited his brother Brian to trek across all 50 states, while capturing stories of how Americans across the nation are getting back on their feet.
The Chu brothers captured stories of people dealing with the economic hardship of current times, dotingly referred to as our Recession. The result is a documentary film entitled, “The Recess Ends: A Nation Back to Work“. These recent college graduates and first-time filmmakers have made a film capturing not only the challenges and opinions of those affected, but also the landscape of the country in which they live and sympathize with. But most importantly, Austin and Brian connect these people to their sense of optimism, thus “A Nation Back to Work.”
“As we traveled across the United States we were completely amazed by what we saw,” said Austin Chu. “We got a chance to see how the recession was affecting the entire country and how Americans in different cities and states were dealing with the current economic crisis. We saw everything from people destroying their old homes because they were worth more to them damaged to a family taking in other people who had lost their jobs and lost their way, to even a man who was selling his own blood to get by during the recession.”
The Chus say they felt compelled to travel in the proverbial shoes of their yet-to-be-identified subjects. Brian quit his day job and Austin opted to stay “jobless” in hopes of creating something bigger than himself. Friends from all walks of their collective lives came together to support this project specifically created not to profit, providing their time and their couches, all for the sake of a documentary.
“Our film captures a snapshot of what our country is going through right now,” said Brian Chu. “It shows us how some Americans are struggling, while others are reprioritizing their lives and finding creative ways to get by. Some of the stories in the film will show hope as well as America’s character and resilience. We believe in many ways the recession has brought communities together and has displayed the true hearts of the American people.”
With “The Recess Ends”, the Chu brothers take us on a cross-country roadtrip where we hear what the American people are really thinking about whats going on now and see what it looks like to actually live it. This isn’t CNN telling us what the experts think. These are your neighbors picking you back up and giving you a pat on the back. The ending result is a focused account of a dramatic moment in history, a patchwork that portrays Americans in their current financial climate created from the inspiration two brothers found in each other and essentially, all of you.
