'I went to meet America's most inbred family and one thing from that day haunts me'

Daily Record

2 days ago

Mark Laita, a photographer and filmmaker, first met the Whittaker family in Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has been back multiple times since to document their lives
The documentary filmmaker who brought the so-called " America's most inbred family" into the public eye has shared insights from his initial encounter with them.
‌
Mark Laita, the man behind the lens, first documented the Whittakers of Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has since returned to provide updates on the family, which he posts on YouTube.
‌
The Whittaker family's history of inbreeding began when the offspring of identical twins Henry and John intermarried, leading to multiple generations of inbreeding and severe disabilities among their descendants.
‌
Laita recounted gaining access to the family was challenging due to the protective nature of their neighbours. However, he managed to visit their home with the help of a local police officer.
On an episode of the Koncrete Klips podcast, the filmmaker described his approach: "We came around to this road, which turns into a country road, which turns into a dirt road.", reports the Mirror US.
‌
He continued: "Then we come to this trailer and then a little shack on the other side of the road. And there's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us."
Laita likened his inaugural meeting with the Whittakers to a scene straight out of the suspenseful film Deliverance.
He said: "One guy, you would look him in the eye or say anything and he would just scream and go running away, and his pants would fall around his ankles, and he would go running off and go and kick a garbage can. And this would happen over and over. It was out of control - the craziest thing I have ever seen."
‌
Initially, the family was hesitant to engage with Laita, but he gradually gained their trust by offering to take photographs for them to use at a relative's funeral. He later returned to create the 2020 film 'Inbred Family - The Whittakers'.
Laita acknowledged the difficulty in communicating with them but has since produced several videos for his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, showcasing their lives. The videos bear titles such as "Christmas season with the Whittakers", "The Whittaker family cemetery", and "The Whittakers go to the state fair".
Over time, Laita has received varied reactions to his videos, with some viewers branding him an "exploitative b******" while others praise the content as "incredible".
He conceded that his work could be seen as exploitative but argued that exploitation is a common aspect of life, stating: "It feels exploitative but I think it's good for us all to know that these things exist. The hotel I'm staying at, they're exploiting my need for sleep. The restaurant I ate breakfast at is exploiting my hunger. Everything is exploitative. Photography and video are especially by nature exploitative."