Secret Mall Apartment 2025 Movie Review
Wow! What an incredible Film. I was a Big fan of the Banksie films but I think this one beats them for me. I remember stumbling upon this story years ago on some forgettable you tube channel and even then I was bowled over and intrigued by the basic story so when I saw the poster I instantly new what this film was going to be about and I was right but what I didn’t account for was a dive into the life and art of my new hero and favourite American artist, Michael Townsend, Andrew Wyeth get out of the cab.
At a time when a housing crisis is tearing my country Australia apart and young people have little to no hope of buying their own homes without a kick back from mum and dad, finding themselves at the mercy of landlords for the most part motivated by financial yield, endlessly pushed from place to place, powerless to achieve a secure existence this movie is both incredibly precedent and poignant.
Michael Townsend is the central force at the heart of these events and what a force he is creating art and installations that are profoundly moving, predictive and are sometimes weird and disturbing for reasons are difficult to tease out. They dwell in the sub conscious not fully available to the waking world. The body tunnel was incredible.
I’ve worked in film and theatre for decades so I’ve applied my share of gaffer tape for a wide variety of courses but I had never heard of TAPE ART outside of Stockhausen and the like. The hospital footage reduced me to tears.
The way Michael operates with endless curiosity exploring the nooks and crannies of his world and prescribing new meaning to them is a life changing process to behold. Seeing all the footage of this process in action over many years was amazing.
I fell off my chair laughing at the mall cops on the sofa and it set my imagination in motion wondering about the possibilities of which way things were going to play out and what the mall cops might decide to or not to do. Maybe they will all become friends?
The art and the concepts within this production are so mind blowing they make any quibbles I have over the production values and movie making techniques employed in this film redundant. The sound track is cute and the Cherry on top for me was making a connection and learning where the band Lightning Bolt came from and the context of their creation. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea but it should be. Highly recommend this film.
