In 2003, a few years after the massive new Rhode Island mall, Providence Place, was opened, local artist & teacher Michael Townsend and seven fellow artists moved in…literally. Apparently finding an unaccounted-for space in the original blueprints, they decided to turn it into an apartment, partly as an art project, partly as a form of protest of what the mall represents.
They stayed there undetected for four years - sneaking in and out at will - before finally getting caught. In the interim, Townsend and friends managed to fully furnish the place, and even built an additional cinderblock wall to conceal it. If this was a work of fiction, we’d balk at its implausibility. However, Secret Mall Apartment is a documentary, about half of which consists of footage these guys shot themselves while moving in and living there.
When focusing on how these eight people managed to pull off such a stunt, the movie is pretty fascinating, especially their efforts to move massive pieces of furniture into the “apartment” (which is located on one of the upper levels!). Then there’s the 70+ cinderblocks they manage to get up there for the wall, which turns out to be a tremendous undertaking. And since this is one of the few times they come closes to getting caught, those scenes even generate a little suspense. But to be honest, I was really hoping to see more of their stealthy living arrangements. After all, who hasn’t fantasized about having the run of a zombie-free mall?
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| "...and I still had to pay a pet deposit." |
The film also features interviews with everyone involved, which is interspersed with the footage they shot, as well as an amusing reenactment of the moment Michael is finally caught. Whether the whole thing is indeed supposed to be an art project, a social statement or just an elaborate stunt, Secret Mall Apartment is worth checking out just to see how they managed to pull-off something you wouldn’t think is possible.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - The Mall and the Movie is about about the film playing at Providence Place; Jesse Eisenberg Reads Letterboxed Reviews (Eisenberg is the film’s executive producer); On the Marquee Photo Montage features several North American theaters that screened the film; Jesse Eisenberg & Michael Townsend in Conversation; Recreation Set Timelapse shows the secret apartment set being built (obviously for the re-enactment scenes); Michael Townsend Tape Art further showcase’s the artist’s work.
Q&A SESSIONS - 1) With Jesse Eisenberg; 2) With director Jeremy Workman.
DELETED SCENES
TRAILERS & PROMOS
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