‘Flophouse America’ review: Poverty, addiction and one-room living wreak havoc on a child’s life

Dir: Monica Stromdahl. Norway, Netherlands, US. 2025. 78mins

All the odds are stacked against 12 year-old Mikal in Flophouse America. Monica Stromdahl’s unflinching documentary captures a portrait of a child whose life is defined by poverty, instability and the alcoholism of his parents. Those disadvantages are balanced by a great reservoir of love and good intentions in these family ties. A tough watch at times, Flophouse America has its rewards in the empathy of Stromdahl’s approach and the hope that breaks through the heartbreak. Festival interest should mushroom following a special mention in the CPH: DOX Award competition and screenings at Visions Du Reel.

 There feels no barrier between the viewer and real life

Stromdahl has spent 15 years on a photography project capturing lives on the margins of the American dream. It was through this project that she met Mikal and his parents, and eventually spent three years filming their lives. Stromdahl dedicates her film to all the Mikals in the world, and begins with the grim reality of what he and millions face. Official statistics reveal that there are 34 million people living in poverty in America, and one in 10 kids live in a household where at least one parent has an alcohol abuse disorder. We are then transported to the cheap hotel where Mikal shares a room with his father Jason and his mother Tonya. Their few possessions are contained within this one cramped space where they eat, sleep and survive. The long-suffering cat Smokey is a fellow resident. A wall of family photos is one of the gestures to make the space their own. 

In the main body of the film, there is only one brief occasion where we witness Mikal outside of the hotel. We never see him at school or with friends. Instead, he endures a prison-like existence up close and personal with mum and dad. There are frustrations on both sides of the generation gap. There are also many declarations of love and support from parents who want a better life for him than the one they have had. Their ability to provide that is severely compromised by Tonya’s belligerent alcoholism. She spends most of her days in bed, smoking, playing cards, making promises and drinking the vodka that will turn those promises to dust. Jason holds down a job and brings in a wage, but he also has periods when alcohol is impossible to resist.

Mikal is smart and thoughtful but an unpredictable life takes a constant toll. He is tired, retreating into himself, taking refuge in computer games and lonely retreats to the hotel corridor. His grades are falling and there are times when he would rather be anywhere else than stuck in the hotel room.

Stromdahl places the viewer inside this claustrophobia and chaos. She is even-handed and discreet in what she chooses to show, and you can only marvel at the remarkable trust she has been able to build with this particular family.  The hotel room is barely big enough for Mikal and his parents, yet Stromdahl worked as her own cinematographer, positioning cameras to witness repeated moments of conflict, confrontation and reconciliation. Her presence is so poised and unobtrusive that there feels no barrier between the viewer and real life. She also waited for Mikal to turn 18 so that he could approve the finished film.

The core of Flophouse America is an intense period in 2020 that eventually leads to a turning point. By then, you are so involved in Mikal’s daily struggles that there is an appreciation of the rare opportunity for change, as well as the tragedy that brings it about.