The gentrification of low-income urban enclaves is the subject of D.W. Young's perceptive documentary about changes in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood arising from the construction of a huge Ikea outlet. The building site is a waterfront area with abandoned factories and a large concrete courtyard that was serving as a squatter's haven (accessible through the titular makeshift fence hole). Young's film features observations from locals focusing on four issues: the destruction of the dilapidated structures (some dating from the Civil War), the elimination of a site in which graffiti artists have plied their trade in works of astonishing size and complexity, the question of what will happen to a still-operating dock where large ships are brought in for cleaning and repair, and the fate of the homeless community. Young treats the last topic with particular sensitivity, incorporating footage from a short film made by Cornell architecture graduate Benjamin Uyeda, who built a shelter for himself. Although a few interviewees, including the head of a local farming initiative, offer an occasional hopeful comment about the Ikea store's impact, most are concerned about the destruction of their neighborhood's character (one irate man claims it won't be recognizable in 10 years; he's probably right). DVD extras include an extended interview with Uyeda, a film montage shot in an abandoned grain terminal (with the Statue of Liberty seen in the distance), and a photo gallery. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
A Hole in a Fence
(2008) 46 min. DVD: $19.95. First Run Features (avail. from most distributors). Volume 24, Issue 2
A Hole in a Fence
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