After seeing an interview with co-directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, my mother and I went into Boston to see their documentary about hunger in America this evening. 50 million people in the U.S.-one in four children-don’t know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all. “A Place at the Table” examines this issue through the lens of three people who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her hardworking mother can afford.

Judging by the fact that the movie is playing in exactly one theater in the entire Boston area and our screening was attended by only 6 other people, I think it is probable that hunger in America will be with us for some time.