American Dream movie trailers, and an invitation to discuss

Back in November I shared information and a link to the movie that our family has a bit part in: American Dream. The story of our family's journey to find a different path for our lives is woven with that of others: all questioning the "American dream" and finding a way to . 

Joel, the film's director, recently set up a Facebook page that has easier to access links for a few trailers (yeah guys... sorry about those massive downloads. I never was able to see them myself! these will load much better). 

Take a look, and let Joel know what you think on the FB page- he's reading and listening. Enter the discussion: what do YOU think of the American dream? What does a new dream look like?

filming back in 2008, below deck in the relatively unfinished Totem

American Dream - the movie

Stuff. We all have an abundance of things that we don't need, right? I'm pretty sure everyone reading this falls into that category. As we fulfill these artificial needs for a better TV, a newer car, a bigger house... what is the real cost?

One of the big motivators for us to move onto the boat and take off on this adventure was to shed Stuff, and to get off the wheel of acquisition. To shed the what made our lives busy with things that seemed urgent, but weren't really important at all in the grand scheme. To find a way to live a little more simply, with more time together as a family, and a lighter tread on the earth. To live by our values instead of just hoping to "someday."

In the year leading up to our departure, we connected with a filmmaker, Joel Christian McEwen, who is inspired along similar lines. Joel was making a documentary about the crisis of the American dream: when did it change from the freedom and opportunity to build a good life, to the business of acquiring more and more *stuff*? Remember that bumper sticker... "He who dies with the most toys, wins." How did our society get there?

Joel has gathered the stories of people who are opting out of the assumed path we march down to acquire. One of those stories is ours. There's a 16 minute promotional cut you can watch here, or checkout the film's website- http://americandreamthemovie.com. Out here in the land of minimal bandwidth and poor access to the internet, we haven't been able to see it all yet (this is killing me!)- but take a peek for us, and share what you think.

Film is a powerful vehicle for transformation. I believe deeply in Joel's message, and would love to see the power of his work help effect social change. The film, hopefully, will be released this year- but Joel is still looking for funding to get it completed and bring to the public. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in sponsorship or investing (they can also take tax-deductable donations), drop a note to pr@americandreamthemovie.com.

Filming in our Bainbridge Island house, January 2008