The 67th Essay: Our Daily Bread (1934, USA)
Ryoden Kouki Engineering Co., Ltd.
Company Newsletter Series: “How about Taking a Short Break?”
During the Great Depression, the Sims couple are unemployed and have little hope for the future. The husband is given a mortgaged farm, but he has no idea where to begin.
Everything changes when he happens to meet another unemployed man and invites him to join the farm. He realizes that there must be many other people who, although unable to find work, are willing and able to work. He therefore invites people from a variety of occupations—including farmers, carpenters, barbers, and undertakers—to join them on the farm.
Working together, they cultivate the fields, build houses, and gradually establish a community of their own.
Eventually, the farm is struck by drought. Inspired by the husband’s discovery, the members of the community work together to build a canal and succeed in saving the farm.
The film portrays both the harsh reality of agriculture—that even growing a single grain of wheat is no easy task—and the way people can overcome difficult times by working together.
While also inviting us to consider contemporary issues surrounding food and agriculture in Japan, the film reminds us that human beings cannot live entirely on their own and encourages us to reflect on the meaning of work and community.
Please read the full text here.
