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Secret Mall Apartment

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Secret Mall Apartment
Directed byJeremy Workman
Produced byJeremy Workman
StarringMichael Townsend
Colin Bliss
Adriana Valdez Young
Andrew Oesch
Greta Scheing
James Mercer
Emily Ustach
Jay Zehngebot
CinematographyDan Kennedy
Michael Lisnet
Jeremy Workman
Edited byPaul Murphy
Jeremy Workman
Music byClaire Manchon
Olivier Manchon
Production
company
Wheelhouse Creative
Release date
  • March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) (SXSW)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Secret Mall Apartment is an American documentary film directed by filmmaker Jeremy Workman that recounts the story of a group of young Rhode Islanders who built a secret apartment inside the bustling Providence Place shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island in 2003, living there for four years until getting caught and charged with trespassing in 2007.[1][2][3] The story had been urban legend for many years[4] and the documentary brought together the original 8 participants for the first time in 17 years.[5]

Secret Mall Apartment had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8, 2024[6] where its popularity earned it the festival's first added "Buzz Screening".[7] It was cited in several high-profile publications as one of the stand-out documentaries of SXSW[8][9] and subsequently as one of "the best documentaries of 2024."[10][11]

Secret Mall Apartment marks the second collaboration between Workman and actor Jesse Eisenberg, who serves as one of the film's producers.[12][13] Previously, Eisenberg produced Workman's 2018 documentary The World Before Your Feet.

Release

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After premiering at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, the documentary later screened at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival,[11] Melbourne International Film Festival,[14] Vancouver International Film Festival,[15] Hamptons International Film Festival,[16] and the closing night film of the newportFilm Outdoor Festival,[17] winning a number of film festival awards during its run.[18][19][20][21][22]

Critical response

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Secret Mall Apartment has been widely praised upon its release. It has a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews.[23]

Brian Farvour of The Playlist stated that "art and rebellion collide in this unique time capsule."[24]. Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast stated that "director Jeremy Workman sews together a larger narrative that, at times, becomes unexpectedly moving." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com stated that "the Secret Mall Apartment led to the kind of environment where creatives inspire other creatives to be their best selves".[25] Alex Hudson of Exclaim! stated that "'Secret Mall Apartment' turns a childlike fantasy into a commentary on capitalism."[26] Michael Nordine of Variety gave the film a mixed positive review, writing that the film "is a thoughtful celebration of the DIY artistry behind that experiment, but only a so-so investigation of it."[27]

For Point of View, Susan G. Cole wrote that "If this was act of resistance, wouldn’t it have been useful for the forces you’re fighting to know what you were doing? Who benefits, actually? And if nobody can see this clever installation, is it art? Like any fascinating meditation on the meaning of art and its potential as a political force, Workman’s doc asks more questions than it answers, which is a very good thing."[28]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ McGowan, Dan (February 29, 2024). "The Rhode Island documentary we've been waiting for". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Daley, Lauren (2024-05-02). "Two decades ago, eight artists moved into a 'secret' room in the Providence Place mall. Now there's a film about it". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  3. ^ Mooney, Tom. "Artists lived in a secret apartment inside Providence Place mall. Now it's a movie". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  4. ^ Bett, John (2023-01-30). "Man lived in shopping centre for years after making 'secret flat' in unused room". The Mirror. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  5. ^ "In Secret Mall Apartment, 8 Artists Who Built a Home Inside a Mall Finally Speak, 17 Years Later". www.moviemaker.com. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  6. ^ Lang, Brent (2024-03-07). "Eight Friends Built a Secret Apartment in a Mall and Hid There Undetected for Years; A New SXSW Documentary Explains How and Why". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  7. ^ "Buzz Screening 1 - Secret Mall Apartment". SXSW 2024 Schedule. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  8. ^ Jacobs, Matthew (2024-03-21). "The 12 Best Movies We Saw This Year at SXSW". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  9. ^ Spilde, Coleman (2024-03-09). "These Artists Built an Apartment Inside a Mall, and No One Noticed". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  10. ^ Morse, Erik (2024-04-15). "The Best (and Most Anticipated) Documentaries of 2024". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  11. ^ a b Howell, Peter (2024-05-22). "Hot Docs 2024: Our critic picks the 10 best documentaries showing at the embattled festival". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  12. ^ Lang, Brent (2024-03-07). "Eight Friends Built a Secret Apartment in a Mall and Hid There Undetected for Years; A New SXSW Documentary Explains How and Why". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  13. ^ Meza, Kimberly (2024-03-15). "'Secret Mall Apartment' Reveals the 8 Rhode Islanders that Lived Inside a Mall for 4 Years". Collider. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  14. ^ "Secret Mall Apartment". MIFF 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  15. ^ minutes, United States of America | Jeremy Workman | 91. "VIFF 2024: Secret Mall Apartment". Retrieved 2024-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "PBS Critic & NPR Host Bill McCuddy's Fast 5 HIFF Picks". www.danspapers.com. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  17. ^ NBC 10 WJAR (2024-09-06). 'The Secret Mall Apartment' documentary debuts in Newport. Retrieved 2024-10-04 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ a b O'Brien, John (2024-04-16). "This Just In: 48TH CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS". iIrish Newsmagazine. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  19. ^ a b "AWARD WINNERS". deadCenter Film. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  20. ^ a b Eddins, Sam (2024-08-26). "2024 Sidewalk Film Festival Award Winners". Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  21. ^ a b Belmore, Ryan (2024-09-24). "'Secret Mall Apartment' receives the 2024 newportFILM Outdoors Audience Award". What's Up Newp. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  22. ^ a b "Festival Awards » CIFF". www.ciffcalgary.ca. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  23. ^ "Secret Mall Apartment | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  24. ^ "'Secret Mall Apartment' Review: Art And Rebellion Collide In This Unique Time Capsule [SXSW]". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  25. ^ "SXSW 2024: Dickweed, Secret Mall Apartment, She Looks Like Me | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. 2024-03-12. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  26. ^ Alex Hudson, "Hot Docs 2024: 'Secret Mall Apartment' Turns a Childlike Fantasy into a Commentary on Capitalism". Exclaim!, April 25, 2024.
  27. ^ Michael Nordine, "‘Secret Mall Apartment’ Review: Offbeat SXSW Doc Is a Nice Place to Visit, but You Wouldn’t Want to Live There". Variety, March 20, 2024.
  28. ^ Susan G. Cole, "Secret Mall Apartment Review: Artistic Intervention in a Shopping Centre". Point of View, May 3, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Independent Film Festival of Boston (2024)". IMDb.
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