The Poor & Hungry (2000) is a Great Tutorial for Making a No-Budget Feature Film

A constant topic of discussion in the film world is the manner in which independent filmmakers make a leap to bigger projects.

Sometimes it’s a cautionary tale, like with Colin Trevorrow, whose modest Sundance hit Safety Not Guaranteed somehow got him the Jurassic World gig.* Sure, that very average movie made a billion dollars, but given everything he’s done since then, I think it broke him (or maybe exposed him). He didn’t so much fly too close to the sun as he was shoved into a rocket and blasted straight into it.

Lately, though, independent filmmakers are having more success at leveling up by making modest strides. Michael Sarnoski burst onto the scene with Pig and then did a pretty impressive job with A Quiet Place: Day One, which has made over a quarter billion dollars worldwide. Lee Isaac Chung was making feature films for more than a decade before he broke through in a big way with Minari—and then wound up making the film of the summer in Twisters.**

Those are formidable feats to be sure. But I can’t think of a more impressive leap in modern filmmaking than Craig Brewer making Hustle & Flow on the strength of his no-budget feature debut The Poor & Hungry.

To say that The Poor & Hungry—which tells the story of a small-time car thief who falls in love with one of his targets—is “underseen” would be an understatement. It’s only been logged 92 times on Letterboxd. And it was rather hard to find for a while—that is, until Brewer uploaded the film to his YouTube page last month while making a bold statement on Instagram: “I still think this is my best film.”

As much as I’m a fan of Brewer’s work, I can’t say I agree with that proclamation.*** But it is absolutely a must-watch for anyone who dreams of making a feature film of their own, or anyone who’s simply curious what a modern cinema success story looks like. As T.C. Sharpe, one of the terrific supporting actors in The Poor & Hungry, says in the making-of documentary Poor Man’s Process: “You need to see this movie so you can see how a first-time movie is done.”

Still not convinced that you want to watch a 102-minute black-and-white film shot on a camcorder? Allow me a few more minutes to seal the deal.

First of all, that’s not a joke: Brewer shot The Poor & Hungry on an actual camcorder. The kind your parents used to film your piano recital. You may be thinking “Okay, Jeremy, that’s not exactly a selling point.” But this reinforces a core tenet of truly independent filmmaking: You have to work with what you’ve got. In Poor Man’s Process—which was made by Morgan Jon Fox, another great Memphis filmmaker—Brewer spells it out pretty plainly: “We really tried to focus more on performance and content instead of trying to make it look like Lawrence of Arabia.” Here’s Brewer again from later in the documentary: “I realized that it really had little to do with the weapon that you were using. It had everything to do with the target you were aiming at.”

Given that a quarter century has passed since The Poor & Hungry, contemporary filmmakers can take solace in knowing that there are much better cameras available to just about anyone. Even a tricked-out iPhone can capture some really impressive footage. But Brewer’s method reinforces another tenet that he thankfully didn’t have to learn the hard way: Audiences will forgive a subpar picture, but not subpar sound. That’s why a good deal of his $20,000 budget went to capturing quality sound on set rather than lighting and camera equipment or additional crew members.

It’s also worth noting that this is a Memphis film through and through. Brewer really leaned into the available resources his city had to offer by casting young local actors in the lead roles and shooting at real chop shops, massage parlors, and strip clubs rather than building and dressing his own sets. In fact, the film’s title comes from the P&H Café where Brewer used to hang out; he shot there as well, going so far as to cast the bar owner, Wanda Wilson, in the film.

Now you may be saying “Okay, that’s great and all, but is the film itself any good?” Having seen it twice now, I believe it is. No, it doesn’t look like Lawrence of Arabia. But the script is strong, anchoring the story with character-driven stakes and expertly layering elements of crime and romance around it. And the convincing performances from inexperienced actors are proof that Brewer has good director’s instincts.****

It’s easy to see why Brewer’s “guerilla film” became a calling card that helped him break into the industry. It did relatively well on the film festival circuit, earning him a lawyer and then an agent, and it found its way to the right producers in Los Angeles—including the legendary John Singleton. From there, he went on to make Hustle & Flow (one of my favorite films of this century), and the rest is history.

Of course, what Brewer pulled off wasn’t easy. If it was, we’d all be doing it. But it’s proof that the film industry loves an underdog, and betting on yourself can pay off if you do it strategically. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re poor as long as you’re hungry, folks.*****

*I actually saw Safety Not Guaranteed at SXSW in 2012 when I was freelancing for The Birmingham News (and my editor was kind enough to get me a press badge even though he didn’t really need the coverage). I liked the film well enough, but I scratched my head as much as everybody else when I heard what he was doing next.

**I know that other films have made more than Twisters this summer. But my research has revealed that Twisters is officially 2024’s “movie for people who never go to the movies.” At least until Gladiator II arrives. (My editor John said this is Inside Out 2 erasure but I haven’t seen that film so I disagree.)

***I am one of the dozens of true believers that unashamedly loves Brewer’s Footloose remake. My Twitter background photo for the last several years comes from that film, in fact.

****In Poor Man’s Process, one of the actors mentions that Craig’s use of a handheld camcorder was actually an advantage for them. The camera was so small they forgot it was even there.

*****Forgive the semi-pun here, but if you’re planning on making a film, please feed your crew well! Cut costs elsewhere if you have to. A well-fed crew will give you their best.

The Poor & Hungry and Poor Man’s Process are now streaming on YouTube.