91 mins |
Rated
Not Rated
Directed by Jeremy Workman
Starring Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young, Andrew Oesch, James J.A. Mercer
In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall's electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants - a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot space that sticks it to the man.
“Secret Mall Apartment unspools a wild story full of relatable wish fulfillment and social commentary, making for a highly entertaining treatise on artistic expression.”
“Compelling…. Jeremy Workman’s documentary looks back at a project that may sound like a joke but had serious underpinnings." -Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times
“Fascinating.. A delightful, thought-provoking movie that’s about a lot of things at the same time. It’ll make you see the world with fresh eyes.” –Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“Delightful… Moving… Issues of urban renewal, the value of public art, the difficulty of being married to an obsessive artist and lots more run through Workman’s film. It’s consistently, thoughtfully engaging. And, yes, often very funny in its open-hearted embrace of the DIY spirit, legal or otherwise”
-Michael Philips, Chicago Tribune
“Deliriously entertaining and moving... Watching Secret Mall Apartment, I was reminded at times of Man On Wire.”” –Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“One of the Best Movies of 2025 (so far)” - Vulture
“A testament to youthful ingenuity” –Vulture (from SXSW coverage)
“One of my favorite movies of the year to date.
A remarkable story and a funny and hopeful one – a celebration of the indomitable urge to humanize the inhuman and a blueprint for colonizing the “negative spaces” of a society intent on gentrifying its citizens out of a future.” –Ty Burr, Ty Burr’s Watchlist
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In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden space inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall's electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants - a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot space that sticks it to the man.
“Secret Mall Apartment unspools a wild story full of relatable wish fulfillment and social commentary, making for a highly entertaining treatise on artistic expression.”
“Compelling…. Jeremy Workman’s documentary looks back at a project that may sound like a joke but had serious underpinnings." -Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times
“Fascinating.. A delightful, thought-provoking movie that’s about a lot of things at the same time. It’ll make you see the world with fresh eyes.” –Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“Delightful… Moving… Issues of urban renewal, the value of public art, the difficulty of being married to an obsessive artist and lots more run through Workman’s film. It’s consistently, thoughtfully engaging. And, yes, often very funny in its open-hearted embrace of the DIY spirit, legal or otherwise”
-Michael Philips, Chicago Tribune
“Deliriously entertaining and moving... Watching Secret Mall Apartment, I was reminded at times of Man On Wire.”” –Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“One of the Best Movies of 2025 (so far)” - Vulture
“A testament to youthful ingenuity” –Vulture (from SXSW coverage)
“One of my favorite movies of the year to date.
A remarkable story and a funny and hopeful one – a celebration of the indomitable urge to humanize the inhuman and a blueprint for colonizing the “negative spaces” of a society intent on gentrifying its citizens out of a future.” –Ty Burr, Ty Burr’s Watchlist
