The Film “Pili” is the story of a single mother living in rural Tanzania, who works in the fields for less than one dollar a day to feed her two young children as she also struggles to manage her positive HIV status in private. This emotional film gives an inside view into the difficult lives of those in similar conditions as Pili and provides a glimpse into the poverty in Tanzania and the importance for better infrastructure and help from the government.

​

      In the film, Pili is offered the chance to rent a highly sought-after market-stall in town and she is desperate to have it. However, as she is living in deep poverty and only has two days to get her deposit together, she is forced to make the difficult decision whether to give up her dream of working the stand and continue working in the fields or to rent the stand and therefore dig her family into deeper poverty. Another complication thrown in the mix is her HIV-positive status. She fears stigma and is scared that she will not get a loan to pay for the market. The director, Leanne Welham, did an excellent job characterizing Pili and illustrating how each aspect and character in her life influences her and the decisions she makes.

​

       Pili faces hardships and the worst exploitation despite the lack of evil characters in the film. Everyone has a point of view, which makes a profound statement about the human condition that isn’t present in other movies. There don’t have to be bad characters or people to make a situation difficult. Pili’s main struggles were a result of the governmental institution and the lack of financial and healthcare support.

​

       The focus of the movie is a universal aim for a better life. This film makes an important statement about the importance of quality of life and the role the government and government systems plays in providing a high quality of life. As we see Pili struggle to conceal her HIV status and to scrape together money to provide for her family so she can build a better life, we feel for her. This film also gets the audience thinking about the true source of her struggles. What is the biggest setback she is facing? How can that be changed and who can help her turn her life around? These are questions the movie incites that reflect on a current, real-life issue in Tanzania, which is that poverty is a big problem that one person alone cannot solve.