Flophouse America

Mikal (12) was born and raised in a run-down hotel room that he shares with his parents, who both struggle with addiction. Mikal's greatest wish is for his father and mother to stop drinking. But what does it take to really make someone change? Due to the ongoing housing crisis in the United States, many people are forced to live in run-down hotels, also known as flophouses.

Twelve-year-old Mikal shares a small, cheap room in such a hotel with his parents, Jason and Tonya, and their cat, Smokey. Their home is characterized by chaos and alcohol abuse, but also by love and the hope for a better future. Photographer Monica Strømdahl spent years traveling the United States to document life in these hotels. Eight years ago, she met Mikal—one of many children growing up in these conditions. In this coming-of-age documentary, she follows him over the course of three years, showing both the pain of a broken childhood and the warmth and complexity of family.