Route 2 Elsewhere (2021)

Route 2 Elsewhere is a feature length documentary which tells the story of the unique challenges that face rural America and how small communities are adapting to remain relevant in a changing economy. The story is told through the lives of the people who live along a 1500 mile, five state stretch of US Highway 2, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the plains of Montana-one of the longest continuous rural stretches in the country. Over the past century, America has changed from a mostly rural country to one where over ninety percent live in or near cities. This has caused an urban-rural divide. One where urban, suburban and close in rural people no longer have an understanding of how rural people live. Yet, these same rural places are responsible for over ninety percent of the food and energy urban people consume. Route 2, Elsewhere takes the audience on a visual journey of an area of America most people have never visited nor understand-told through the lives of the people living there. The documentary was filmed over a one year period of time, following its characters through all four seasons in an area of the country that experiences a wide variety of weather changes.