Review of The Parking Lot Movie (2010) by Kenneth L — 09 Jan 2012

I was surprised by how engaging and affecting this low-budget documentary was, since, given its subject matter, it would seem likely to be extremely mundane. The title is indeed accurate: it's a movie about a parking lot. Not just any parking lot, though, but one located right across from my very own University of Virginia, and which I walk past quite frequently. (I must admit I've never actually parked in this lot myself, because I usually park at the on-campus garage I have a permit for.) Even adjusting for the inevitable "hey-I-know-that-place" appeal that this movie has for me but wouldn't have for people who didn't go to UVA, though, I still think the movie genuinely works.

What makes the movie so interesting is that it isn't really about the parking lot itself so much as it is about the people who work there. They're mostly UVA humanities graduate students (much like myself) who took the job because they need extra money. Although the demands of the job itself would seem to be far below these guys' educations, the fact that they're all so intelligent and thoughtful allows them to extract genuinely interesting insights into society and human behavior from their experiences at the parking lot. It is always interesting and often scandalous to see how badly some people treat the attendants, and to hear the attendants' own reaction to such treatment. Their commentary is often very funny.

The movie mostly takes the form of interviews with the attendants and the owner of the lot, and fortunately they're all very articulate. There's also some footage of real-life parking-lot action put in for good measure. As a movie, it moves quickly, never lingering too long at any one thing, and it doesn't overstay its welcome at a brisk 70 minutes. It was made largely by Meghan Eckman, and although it's her first movie, she seems to have a pretty good sense of pacing and such. I'll admit that this movie doesn't have the most promising title, but trust me, it's really pretty good. Plus, there's a hilarious music video at the end.