Who spilled vodka on the cat?
are words that, to my knowledge, have never been spoken in a movie before.
Though not yet a teenager, in many respects its he who takes on the parental role.
Mikal in ‘Flophouse America’Photo by Monica Strømdahl
And he was so school smart, street smart.
He was so aware of his surroundings, and he had learned how to navigate his reality.
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Its a reality lived by millions of Americans at the economic margins.
The Palace Hotel, a one-time flophouse, in Long Beach, CA on January 28, 2010.Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images
I got to know the people who lived there.
The residents, slowly, they became my friends we got to know each other well.
And I started photographing and I did that for many years.
These hotels have minimal service, Strmdahl continues.
I was left with a deep sense of injustice for the people who had stayed there.
And I started doing research about how evictions work, how the housing situation is.
I got more aware about the continuous housing crisis that was going on.
Mikal was 11 at the time when I first met him.
And my room was, coincidentally, opposite the familys room, she remembers.
I have met many children during this project.
But he was the first one I met that was born into this hotel.
He was raised in these hallways.
Strmdahl began to feel still images couldnt sufficiently reveal their lives.
I thought photography is not enough, she says.
The family portrait that emerges is one of deep psychological complexity.
Strmdahl, though unseen in the film, inevitably becomes a silent partner to the dynamic.
I wanted to make a film with Michaels perspective, she observes.
And I think that he felt seen and empowered by my presence.
Flophouse Americais one of seven films in the CPH:DOX lineup chosen for theEuropean Film Promotioninitiative.
We call it the showcase, explains EFP Program Manager Nora Goldstein.
We are happy if they decide to check them out.
It was wild to get the message, that her film had been chosen for initiative, Strmdahl says.
I couldnt believe it… Its a huge opportunity to spread the word.
We want to have an impact.
We want to use the film as a tool.
