Meghan Eckman tracked the comings and goings of a solitary parking lot in Charlottesville, Va., chronicling the lives of the attendants who were working there. This inspiring documentary is the result. Hanging tough as they navigate the range of human emotion, from hope to frustration, from a sense of limitless possibilities to stagnation. The film's subjects embody the pursuit of the American Dream.
I am almost afraid to write a review on this one. They are a crazy educated bunch but more importantly have the ability to apply their intelligence, so if by chance they should stumble across this blog, I am sure they will pull my writing, opinions and views apart. I am okay with that though. The reason I desperately want to write this review... because I hung out with a group of friends like these guys when I was younger. (that, however, is a story for a different blog altogether. I will throw in here that I was NOT one of the smart ones. But I am super loving, not in a dirty way. Just super accepting of anyone without judging them...and I am proud to say I am still actually that way.)
One of the most compelling things about this documentary is Mark Schottinger. He has an unbelievable voice! He was so stunning to me that I ran to write his name down least I forget it. If nothing else, you should watch this just for the clips of him singing w/his guitar.
What the documentary is about... a group of people that work at a parking lot. Yep, that's it.
What else can I say? These guys are actually college graduates. I am assuming the majority of them smoke the refer and at one point or another have taken on Stairway to heaven as there personal anthem. I don't see anything wrong with that. One of the guys was even a professor. He mentions a girl that is a former student that acts as though she doesn't know him when she pulls up to pay, but he recognizes the expression in her face and knows she knows who he is. Can you imagine that? I think that makes a great point to this movie. People have the tendency to judge others over the dumbest shit. Now in that girls defence she is most likely thinking.. "I paid, Ummm, *scoffing* My parents paid How much to send me to college so that I could be taught by the finest and the brightest teachers, get a really good education so I can start a career in a high paying job and contribute to society and my teach works at a fricken parking lot????" Flip side of the coin is the teacher chose to opt out and work at the parking lot. Everyone has the right to choose to do what they want in America... so long as they are not breaking the law, and being an attendant at a parking lot is a needed job! Someone has to do it. They deserve the same amount of respect as any other human being.
This is where I totally agree with how these guys feel. It doesn't matter how nice a person thinks they are, they judge people based on what they do, what they have, what they smell like, a basically every other superficial thing a person can be judged by.
If you want a good deep look into how people are treated simply because of what they do, this is a great documentary to watch. It also shows how working as a parking lot attendant can eventually drive anyone crazy. The video at the end is hilarious! Make sure to watch that part.
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