A majority of the world manages to live on just a $1.25 a day, so three friends decided to try it for themselves.

“What Matters?” a feature-length documentary, was screened at the Memorial Union on Nov. 12.

The film was made by Dan Parris, a member of Speak Up Productions. Parris recruited two friends to travel with him and experience extreme poverty for themselves in the United States, Europe and finally Africa.

One was the adventurous David Peterka, a devoutly religious man willing to do anything life throws his way. The other was almost the opposite. Rob Lehr planned to be the responsible member of the group, and was less excited to be involved.

They established three rules before beginning their journey: they could only spend $1.25 a day, they could keep whatever gear they had with them and they could accept up to one free meal a day if someone were to offer it to them.

Before taking a flight to Europe, the trio hitchhiked through the United States to see “Africa right in America.” They passed through homeless shelters and communities, interviewing people along the way.

Once in Europe, they visited slums and continued speaking with people living in various states of poverty, at one point actually scavenging in the dumpster for dinner.

What they found to be the most challenging was their inability to recreate the poverty levels they experienced in Africa. Knowing they had credit cards as security, clean water and homes to return to, they didn’t feel a truly impoverished.

To make matters worse, Parris and Lehr were involved in a plane crash amid filming. While taking aerial photos of the slum Kiberia, their plane went down and burst into flames.

Both were taken to the hospital and forced to return to the United States early. While Lehr suffered less severe injuries than Parris, he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

Parris spent the next months dealing with injuries, including internal damage, and going in and out of hospitals. The mechanic and pilot aboard didn’t survive.

Peterka, and his brother, Tim, who met the trio when they arrived in Africa, remained to finish filming. In the three-and-a-half months spent traveling between different communities, they found the Africans, despite being incredibly poor, to be happy and inviting.

The film urges audiences to find something they care about, whether that be something as important as poverty in Africa or simply a video game.

The end of the film urged viewers to ask themselves two questions, “What breaks your heart,” and, “What makes you feel alive?” prompting a discussion with the audience.