Direction: Maya Duverdier, Amélie van Elmbt
Country: USA
Dreaming Walls might not be taken as a model documentary, but its viewing also doesn’t hurt. It’s about the iconic Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, New York, once the home of prominent artists and intellectuals during the bohemian years. Allow me to start this review with a caveat: anyone curious about the ghost-related mysteries - so diffused in the media - that involve the famous site in question is likely to be disappointed with The Dreaming Walls, which definitely doesn’t take that direction.
The pair of Belgian directors, Maya Duverdier and Amélie van Elmbt, place their focus on the disputes of remaining tenants regarding the never-ending renovations, which will turn the twelve-story-building into a luxury hotel. There are also some nostalgic moments that bring back some glimpses of their bohemian artistic lives in the past. This is specially true for Mel Easter, a former dancer who became a major character in the film. Some archival footage is dovetailed, including a few scenes with the hotel’s longtime manager Stanley Bard, as well as some projections, and songs such as “Chelsea Girls” by The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Boasting Martin Scorsese as an executive producer, Dreaming Walls doesn’t have much beneath the surface. I felt there were too many aspects that could be better explored, as well as further digging to be done about current residents captured in their frustration, resignation and determination. The choppy editing denies the film a rhythm, making it a little stiff. Even missing great opportunities and far from mind-bending, this more-lugubrious-than-austere doc is pelted with an eeriness that lingers after the final credits roll. It likely won’t work for those who are not familiar with the course of the hotel over its nearly 140 years of existence.
