Amid a severe housing crisis in the United States, many Americans are forced to live in rundown motels known colloquially as flophouses. Twelve-year-old Mikal shares a tiny, cheap room in one such motel with his parents, Jason and Tony, and their cat Smokey. Their cramped home is marked by chaos and alcoholism, but also by love and a hope for a better future. In a stark reversal of MAGA triumphalism, 38 million poor Americans live in such conditions, and one in ten children grow up in families affected by alcohol dependency. Director Monica Strømdahl spent years traveling across the U.S. documenting the everyday lives of those affected. Eight years ago, she met Mikal in the lobby of a Portland motel – a charismatic and lively boy navigating poverty and addiction, embodying subtle courage and relentless resilience in an existential struggle where he often ends up on the losing side.
In the motel’s narrow hallways, Mikal occasionally recites raw, unfiltered poetry, using his voice to escape the “dark abyss” of social stigma, systemic inequality, and shattered dreams of a brighter future. This coming-of-age documentary follows him over three intense years, capturing the fracture of a childhood spent on the edge of survival, while also revealing the complexity and warmth of familial bonds. Carefully composed static shots linger, sharply contrasting with the often disturbing daily life of a flophouse family – a life laced with dark humor and rare moments of joy. By blurring the line between day and night, Strømdahl reflects the uneven rhythm of a family that has developed its own unique sense of time amid extraordinary circumstances. She approaches her characters with tenderness and respect, honoring the boundaries of their confined space and emotional wounds. In doing so, she practices a politics of care both on and off set, offering a powerful lesson in ethical documentary filmmaking and in building strong, supportive communities. (Dina Pokrajac)
*The director Monica Strømdahl will join us for a Q&A, moderated by film critic Miro Frakić.
Awards and Festivals:
CPH:DOX (2025) – World Premiere, Special Mention; Movies That Matter (2025); Visions du Réel (2025); Docville (2025)
Monica Strømdahl is an internationally acclaimed documentary photographer with a degree from Falmouth College of Art. In 2019, she won Norway’s Picture of the Year Award and was nominated for the Leica Oscar Barnack Award (LOBA). She is known for her intimate portraits of people and their everyday lives. After directing severAl short films, Flophouse America is her debut feature-length film.
