Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel

This writer has been intrigued to learn more about the fascinating history and ongoing circumstances of the famous Chelsea Hotel since reading various source materials over the years, notably Ronda Kaysen’s brilliant reportage “How a legendary New York Hotel became a battleground” in the New York Times last year, which succinctly recorded the war between the building’s current tenants and property developers attempting to revive it as an upscale hotel.

Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier’s new documentary film Dreaming Walls wants to achieve a similar goal to Kaysen but is obstructed by the commitments of taking an observational approach: that is to say, the contributors – long-term dwellers of the hotel – are simply not interesting enough. The bulk of their testimony revolves around their frustrations with the battle imposed on them, in which the hostility comes from a chicken-and-egg system of noisy construction and capitalist interests, whilst they yearn for the days of yore.

Whilst Kaysen could obviously benefit from the editorial tightness of a written article, these filmmakers are stuck digging for verité gold as the residents don’t prove to be so compelling in their domesticity. Of course, it shouldn’t be their purpose to entertain the viewer, but one can’t avoid feeling disengaged for long stretches when all the great visual information – the unique architecture and artworks – is absorbed much earlier than the transitions between frames.

However, the film is at its best when it peeks into the history of the hotel, which was once an electric site for bohemians and musicians alike, serving in every capacity from an abode for Patti Smith (who we see in delightful archive footage) to the base of a Mariah Carey music video (as recalled by tenant Steve Willis, who produced it) and whatever else captured the imagination of the late Stanley Bard, beloved manager of the Chelsea. It’s a shame there aren’t more interesting stories shared by those on camera; though the immersive approach taken by the filmmakers allows for a nice glimpse into the singular aesthetic of the hotel, a traditional, talking-head style would have served better in extracting the endless myths and legends as observed by these longtime residents.

Musanna Ahmed

Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel is released digitally on demand on 20^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel here: