I was recently looking for something new to watch with my Netflix subscription when I found Secret Mall Apartment, a 2024 documentary about some artists building a hideout in the middle of a bustling shopping mall. Judging by the title and basic premise, I went into this feeling like I knew what to expect. However, after watching it, I can happily say I was totally off base in my original assumption (you know what they say about those).
While this is very much about a group of self-expressive punks and creatives finding a secret, unused space in a massive Rhode Island mall, that’s just part of the story. Instead, as I discovered throughout the incredible, powerful, and oddly emotional documentary, this is a story about artists making their mark on the world and taking back something that was pried out of their hands by developers and capitalism.
