The Divide
The Divide tells the story of seven individuals striving for a better life in modern day US and UK – where the top 0.1% owns as much wealth as the bottom 90%. By plotting these tales together, we uncover how every aspect of our lives is controlled by one factor: the size of the gap between rich and poor.

This isn’t based on real life. This is real life. Wall Street psychologist Alden wants to make it to the top 1%; Glaswegian rapper Darren just wants to stay sober; Newcastle carer Rochelle wishes her job wasn’t looked down on so much; Jen in Sacramento, California, doesn’t even talk to the neighbours in her upscale gated community – they’ve made it clear to her she isn’t “their kind”.

It becomes clear that a higher income doesn’t ensure happiness and inequality hurts us all – rich and poor. By weaving these stories with news archive from 1979 to the present day, The Divide creates a lyrical, psychological and tragi-comic picture of how economic division creates social division. The Divide serves as both a call to arms, and a powerful warning. The film was released 10 years ago but remains as relevant today.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Dr Toral Gathani, including:

· Katherine Round, the film director

· Ann Raymond, The Health Foundation and lead author of “Health Inequalities in 2040”.
Date: 5 March 2025, 16:30
Venue: Screen 2
Speakers: Speaker to be announced
Organising department: Nuffield Department of Population Health
Organisers: Hannah Calkin (Oxford Population Health), Dr Toral Gathani (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events@ndph.ox.ac.uk
Part of: OxPop Festival of Global Health
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://forms.office.com/e/PPHjZXGzrD
Cost: Free
Audience: Public
Editors: Graham Bagley, Hannah Calkin, Isobel Young