How did Our Daily Bread depict communal farming during the Great Depression?

In his 1934 film Our Daily Bread, director King Vidor depicted communal farming as a solution for individuals struggling during the Great Depression. The film follows a couple who organize a farm collective, serving as an unapologetically didactic exploration of the rewards associated with communal living.1

Vidor’s portrayal was heavily influenced by the work of Sergey Eisenstein and other Soviet filmmakers, reflecting a perspective on collective labor that emphasized shared effort and cooperation. Despite its thematic focus on the merits of such an organization, the film was not popular with contemporary audiences and resulted in a significant financial loss for Vidor, who had personally invested in the production.1