Skip to main content
Hillbilly Elegy
Maria Duarte recommends a touching portrayal of a troubled Appalachian childhood

Hillbilly Elegy
Directed by Ron Howard

“WHERE we come from is who we are but we choose every day who we become,” says JD Vance as he attempts to reconcile his Appalachian upbringing and identity with his pursuit of the American Dream.

It is based on JD Vance’s New York Times bestseller — a powerful memoir of his life and family.

Donate to the Fighting Fund
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
round up
Cinema / 3 April 2025
3 April 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Sebastian, Four Mothers, Restless, and The Most Precious of Cargoes
fotw
Film of the week / 3 April 2025
3 April 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a drama that explores the formative years of Richard Burton’s life
FOTW
Film of the week / 13 March 2025
13 March 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a deliciously dark thriller that explores the complex loyalties within a marriage
round up
Cinema / 13 February 2025
13 February 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE review Cottontail, Memoir of a Snail, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and Captain America: Brave New World
Similar stories
Vice President JD Vance arrives at Pituffik Space Base in Gr
World / 30 March 2025
30 March 2025
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch speaking during Prim
Britain / 5 March 2025
5 March 2025
8 - Vance in a diner
Features / 5 August 2024
5 August 2024
The controversial senator’s meteoric rise shows us how the ruling class and its media will always reward those who repackage working-class struggles as personal failings, writes ZOLTAN ZIGEDY