Posted by 
The Parking Lot Movie (2010)
Directed by Meghan Eckman
Meghan Eckman found some modest success with this 2010 documentary focusing on a parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia. The film focuses on the owner of the lot and his oddly appealing staff of parking lot attendants.
Despite a premise that seems less than exciting, the movie had some interesting moments. The documentary shows the everyday lives of the people who man the shack on the lot and make sure people pay up. This film is a perfect examination of the lives of customer service workers. All kinds are exposed, from people who park and run, to rude people, to the people who want to haggle at the end of their stay. In the end the short film shows that the type of people working at parking lots might not be who you’d expect. This lot has provided income to future college professors, lawyers, and other graduate students.
This isn’t totally exciting, but some of the footage captures some interesting interactions with the workers and the public. The film can be slow at times, but in the end I couldn’t stop watching, waiting for someone else to say something outrageous. This isn’t a film with some agenda, no politics or statements seem to be made. The subjects definitely have their opinions, but the film is mainly an observation of a unique subculture that has developed in this little parking lot.
I don’t know what else to say, except that if you happen upon this movie on Netflix, please give it a chance. The music video below is just one piece of the interesting film. I give this short documentary 2.8 out of 5 stars.
I thought it was a pretty interesting minimalist doc, with the best aspect being how it highlights customers for rather small services being crazy cheap at times. Still, in the end it’s a movie about a small parking lot and its quirky staff. Not exactly the stuff of legends.
LikeLike
Yeah, definitely not going into the National Film Registry, but very interesting all the same.
LikeLike
I saw this one on Netflix. I usually will go through 3 Netflix Instant movies in about 10-15 minutes….if it stinks I try to find another. I thought this one would be a 5-minute wonder. The result was that I stayed up until 12:45 am to watch the whole thing. I loved every bit of it. This is the ultimate ‘work’ movie. There can be a special bond between people who work together all day. Not all people are lucky enough to experience this type of friendship and shared experience. The Parking Lot Movie really hit the spot!
LikeLike
It was interesting to see the bonds formed over something so simple.
LikeLike