Malls R Us

by Helene Klodawsky
Icarus Films, Brooklyn, NY, 2008
DVD, 78mins, colour
Sales $398
Distributor’s Website: http://www.IcarusFilms.com.

Reviewed by Kathryn Adams
Australia

kathy@pacific.net.au

The regular pilgrimage to the local super duper, mega shopping malls that we modern-day humans endure for a fix of ‘retail therapy’ is undoubtedly an odd phenomenon. Hoards of consumers are drawn every day to their local shopping Mecca in search of the ultimate shopping experience. But more than just merely losing themselves in a sea of commercial gadgetry, gimmicky entertainment, and barcodes, consumers find solace, a sense of community, and, some would argue, ceremonial comfort inside the all encompassing and alluring shopping mall. The relentless development of these sprawling structures, however, is causing a negative and devastating impact on the environment and is depriving human society of its lifeblood. Helene Klodawsky’s cinematic documentary, Malls R Us, uncovers some startling facts about the repercussions of mall development cross-culturally and features some of the world’s grandest and most dazzling malls.

Klodawsky’s insightful film showcases shopping malls in Canada, Japan, Poland, France, the U.S, the U.K and Dubai and includes interviews with the passionate and fanciful architects, mall promoters and developers who create them. During filming, Rubin Stahl, a mall promoter from Canada dreams of a “…newer, bigger mall…” In order to lure potential shareholders to invest in his plans to develop 331 acres of land into the largest shopping mall in the world, he has tabbed his gargantuan venture as being an “environmentally sensitive project”. Watching as greed and guilt dissipate under the “Green” banner is cringe-worthy viewing and confirmation that the little folk––environmentalists and small business owners for example––have no chance against the power machine of progress.

Combining archival footage of the history of the American shopping mall with accounts from shoppers, social critics, labour activists, and retailers, gives this film a balanced approach. It is not difficult, however, to come away from the film feeling that this obsession with ‘more’ is a phenomenon that is way out of control. In an age where ‘small’, ‘medium,’ and ‘large’ have become ‘huge’, ‘ginormous’ and ‘monumentally whopping’, it is little wonder this kind of marketing has lead to the need to expand at any cost.

In New Delhi, for example, where fresh water and sanitation issues are still unresolved, plans are underway to develop the 2 billion year old Delhi Ridge Wilderness Preserve into New Delhi’s latest luxury mall. This area naturally offers protection from desert winds and provides water from natural resources, but for the mall developers it provides space for ample parking and non-stop commercial gain. The documentary also uncovers the dissent between mall developers and traditional business owners in New Delhi, whose livelihoods are being threatened by major corporations.

Although the message at the core of this film is hard-hitting, there are lighter moments for viewers. Peter Blackbird and his friend Brian Florence have set up a website called ‘deadmalls.com’, dedicated to shopping malls that still exist structurally but are no longer in operation. This is an eerie segment and a unique idea that has intrigued and encouraged many people to come forward with information about the now defunct malls in their local areas. And just witnessing the spectacle of what some of these architecturally splendid shopping malls have to offer is in itself a filmic experience. Carnival rides in centre court, glitz, glamour, lights, water features, performing seals and flamingos on show are there for your viewing pleasure – albeit guilty pleasure.

The film unfolds at a gentle pace accompanied by narration and music and channels a vast amount of information to its conclusion, leaving viewers with the feeling they have experienced something grand yet ominous. Of special note is the inclusion of theologian and social critic, Jon Pahl’s assertion that “…malls, like churches, function as sacred places…” He points out that the grand designs of the modern shopping mall are built to make humans feel small and overwhelmed. Complete with high ceilings and various vestiges of religious symbolism, the shopping mall is providing people with the promise of some kind of transcendence and safety within its inner sanctum.

These discerning insights into the psychology of devout consumers and keen observations on today’s social values are highlights of this must-see documentary. And in light of current global financial concerns, it is a timely and poignant reminder of the dangers of unbounded capitalism.