When James Scurlock set out to make Maxed Out, a feature-length documentary about modern-day finance and the debt industry (Magnolia, June 5), he knew he wanted to find people who were willing to talk about their experiences with credit and debt. To his delight, that wasn’t a problem at all.
And when Maxed Out began playing festivals and then in theaters during its limited theatrical run, the floodgates opened, with viewers approaching Scurlock and telling him their own tales.
“A lot of people came up to me and told me that many of their own credit stories are a lot worse than the ones they saw in the film,” he told us. “There are obviously people walking around dazed and confused—and there are a bunch of stories that didn’t make it into the movie.”
So having heard countless horror stories from people who’ve jeopardized their futures due to consumer debt, what kind of advice does Scurlock have for those who wish to avoid financial pitfalls?
“The best advice to give someone to not to get into debt is to not get married, not have kids and not go to college,” he said. “Of course, that’s no way to live.”
Oh, and for what it’s worth, Scurlock financed his film with cash and not credit cards (a method often used by hungry indie filmmakers).
“I have no ax to grind with the debt industry,” he said.