A city lost in the past has to overcome its nostalgia to meet the needs of a modern community.
Retrocity takes you on a journey through the past 80 years of capitalism, consumerism, and individualism, exploring how they have all combined in time to transform our communities from collective, social, human environments, into individualistic, antisocial, car-centric environments.
Centred around Chatham, Ontario, Canada, and the annual retro festival it holds, the documentary takes you into the event to explore the city through the eyes and ears of its residents, showcasing the ironic tragedy of a community so enveloped in nostalgia for its past it has become lost in time.
Review by Victoria Angelique:
The history of Chatham, Ontario is told in a masterful depiction of architecture in RETROCITY. There is no dialogue, yet this is a powerful documentary that showcases the changes in a city through buildings. A sad story that goes from a thriving town to one abandoned throughout time due to society becoming increasingly antisocial.
The score is whimsical. It sets a nostalgic tone as the filmmaker, Jude Dauphin, takes the audience back in time to the beginning of a beautiful town. The captivating cinematography shows the beauty of a thriving town that had gorgeous architecture. The buildings are in contrast to the modernization of Chatham, with popular fast food and grocery store chains lining the outskirts of the magnificent historical buildings.
The editing is seamless as the scene transitions from the black and white past, to the colorful modernization and finally ending on a society beginning to decay. Dauphin showcases the decline in socialization through the lens of what appears to be an abandoned mall that still has the bright decor from decades ago and even payphones hanging from the wall. The footage is almost like an old home movie, reminiscing of the time when people would hang out at this shopping center as they socialized.
The contrast to people only coming together for a retro festival is not lost, as it shows the community still longs for the past before the world became antisocial and individualistic. Chatham, Ontario is a beautiful town that is being lost in time as people move on, leaving history behind them. The hope at the end is that this city can be saved and the people will once again come together as a community.
Project Links
Festival Reviews 