Synopsis
Due to the ongoing housing crisis in the U.S., many people are forced to live in run-down hotels, known as flophouses. Twelve-year-old Mikal shares a small, inexpensive room in one of these hotels with his parents and their cat, Smokey. Their home is marked by chaos and alcohol abuse, but also by love and the hope for a better future.
Director Monica Strømdahl has spent years traveling across the U.S., documenting life in these hotels. Eight years ago, she met Mikal, one of many children growing up in this environment. This coming-of-age documentary follows him over three years, capturing the pain of a fractured childhood alongside the warmth and complexity of family.
Awards
Honorable Mention, DOX:AWARD Competition, CPH:DOX, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2025; Hera “Nuovi Talenti” Award, International Competition, Biografilm Festival, Bologna, Italy, 2025.
Monica Strømdahl
Monica Strømdahl is an international award-winning documentary stills photographer and filmmaker. She earned a BA in Photography at a Fine Arts programme at Falmouth College of Arts. She has worked as a freelance photographer in Oslo for eight years. In 2019, she won the 1st prize at the Norwegian Picture of the Year, and was nominated for the Leica Oscar Barnack Award (LOBA). Monica is known for her intimate way of portraying people and their lives.She has made short films, and Flophouse America is her debut feature documentary.
Select Filmography
Flophouse America (2025).
