Malls R Us

Do malls bring people together in a new kind of community, or further isolate them? Have shopping centers taken the place of sacred sites—such as cathedrals—in our society? Or are they merely monuments to materialism and greed? Helene Klodawsky's imaginative documentary asks these types of questions as it sketches a history of the mall, beginning with architect Victor Gruen's initial concept in the 1950s, offering insights (sometimes humorous) along the way into the psychological factors that planners consider in designing malls. But the coverage moves far beyond the United States. Architect Eric Kuhne enthuses about his vision for a mega-mall in Dubai (which one wealthy patron calls “a gift of God”), and cherubic developer Rubin Stahl busily plans a huge new mall outside Montreal, but in New Delhi environmental activist Vikram Soni is trying to stop construction of a mall that would destroy a wildlife preserve. Malls R Us also features comments from shoppers in Paris, Warsaw, and Osaka regarding what they find wonderful or creepy about malls. Klodawsky even talks with people who mourn the closure of local malls (at the website DeadMalls.com, individuals can post their memories of times spent in malls). Ultimately, Malls R Us mirrors the ambiguous view of sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, who marvels at the shiny future promise of malls yet bemoans the accompanying loss of small-town America. A thoughtful, provocative film, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)