Seen at...
Dreaming Walls
- Director: Maya Duverdier, Amélie van Elmbt
- Writer: Maya Duverdier, Amélie van Elmbt
- Producer: Lori Cheatle, Frédéric de Goldschmidt, David Herdies, Quentin Laurent, Hanne Phlypo, Simone van den Broek
CGiii Comment
The building has spoken for itself...for decades. The Illuminati of yesteryear are well-documented.
Just let the last remaining residents do the talking!
That's exactly what the directors did...the effect is mesmerising, almost dream-like. As disparate, as eccentric as they are, this is their home within a building site, their physical histories are being renovated beyond recognition...but, their personal histories are being recorded for posterity.
As gentrification attacks the security of these few stalwart residents, they - quite literally - stand on their last defiant legs. They will take their last breaths at the Chelsea Hotel. To paraphrase a fine, fine song: You'll be remembered so well in the Chelsea Hotel.
Hotel Chelsea reopened in February 2022...with their cheapest and smallest room being $475/night - it's farewell to Bohemia, hello tourists!
Sad, isn't it?
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
The legendary Chelsea Hotel, an icon of 1960s counterculture and a haven for famous artists and intellectuals including Patti Smith, Janis Joplin and the superstars of Warhol’s Factory, is under renovation. Soon it will reopen to the public as one of New York’s most fashionable luxury hotels.
Dozens of people, most in their later years, still live amidst the scaffolding and constant construction. Against this chaotic backdrop, the film takes us through the hotel’s storied halls, exploring its living body and the utopian spirit that contribute to its mythical stature. Its residents, casualties of capitalism, and the walls themselves now face a turning point in their common history.