Sunshine Hotel

What an incredible film, especially for a documentary. This reflection on a seemingly hopeless flophouse and the worn-out, tired men who live in it is stunning in the stark reality it gives the viewer, and the poor residents it reveals are truly fascinating people. They are people who anyone can relate to, who had a dream that didn't quite come to fruition, who had a terrible experience with prejudice or lost love, people who seem like they've had the deck stacked against them from the start. This movie is essential for a viewer who wants to see a movie about the lost dreams of an American city and American lives. It's tracing of the infamous Bowery neighborhood from it's glory days to it's present depressed melancholy environment show a changing America, but an America that has always had nothing but contempt for the losers in life. This film shows how those "losers" deserve sympathy from those less blessed in life--everyone knows someone like them, someone who just didn't get any breaks. There are some truly haunting shots, from a post-September 11th perspective, that show the World Trade Center buildings towering over the bleak city street on which the flophouse resides, but the real lesson in this movie is how our system ruins the lives of good people, like the elderly black Army veteran recounting his terrifying experience in the Jim Crow South during the 1950s, or the charming man who recounts his hopelessness and lack of confidence with women in a frank, honest manner that would have brought a less hardened man to tears. This film is sad and beautiful and unsparing in its truth, and it is an extraordinary movie.

First watched this film many years ago but recently rediscovered it on Amazon Prime. It is a truly harrowing portrait of people that have fallen through the cracks of society and landed on skid row. The filmmaker shows great skill in his ability to treat these lost souls with sympathy whilst portraying the unfiltered reality of their dire existence. You can sense the time and care he has put into getting to know these unfortuante individuals, resulting in an incredibly intimate portrayal. A difficult watch at times, but a fascinating insight into the lives of those less fortunate.

Interesting, disturbing, and tragic; the colorful centuries long stories of NYC's Bowery culminate (sort of) with the follow-them-around documentary of the residents of Sunshine Hotel. The "hotel" is a turn of the century former factory that has been broken off into rooms about the size of a broom closet; typically referred to as a "flop house". The men (and one trans female); are as different as night and day, but share a common bond; life has failed them in some way. Their day to day life is surrounded by substance abuse, mental health issues, trash, bugs, rodents,disappointment, loneliness, and shattered dreams. These guys make the best of their situation with sad, haunting matter-of-fact acceptance. Released just before 9/11/01, the irony of the transformation of NYC isn't lost on the viewer as we see the Twin Towers in the background.

Such a well made film. Nate is a tremendous human being, he seems really enlightend. Not just that but a fantastic wordsmith. I wish we could get hold of his letters, he has such a mastery of language.

Nathan Smith makes this movie. I love his vocabulary and the way he talks.