Currently screening at 2025 DOCNYC, FLOPHOUSE AMERICA places us in the middle of the ongoing housing crisis in the U.S.,where many people are forced to live in rundown 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. Flophouse America is an exceedingly moving and meticulous coming-of-age documentary follows him over three years, capturing the pain of a fractured childhood alongside the warmth and complexity of family. Quoting the filmmaker, “Filming Mikal and his family came with immense responsibilities — both as filmmakers and as fellow human beings. Flophouse America captures a family facing hardship, often in difficult and vulnerable situations.” I urge anyone listening to our conversation to seek out this beautiful and moving film.