Steel Homes

Steel Homes is a short documentary based on a storage facility that harbours peoples belongings, this documentary is very personal to the people who narrate it as they find comfort by coming to the warehouse to look/feel the belongings that are stored away.

I think the primary aim of this documentary is to show the endless storage homes and how many people are linked to them, I think the director is also trying to put across how people come attached to items that remind them of their past, or items that are linked to a certain event in their life and how they store them away so they can come back to them to bring some happiness once the storage doors are opened. However, I also this think this documentary has a sad undertone, there is no music within this short film which I think is done deliberately to symbolise loneliness, this also links with the people who enter the warehouse as they keep themselves to themselves, they don't get involved with other peoples belongings or life's.

Another thing I found sad was that some of the storage houses where crammed full of items, some of which the narrators would possibly never see again (due to the limited space), this is upsetting to see as it shows some people cannot let go and this obsession will only carry on.

The interior of the storage house is not of a warm atmosphere, each 'home' is identified by a number showing the lack of identity of the owner, the director shows us the endless, bare corridors and we hear the harsh metallic sounds of doors opening and closing. I got the feeling that the warehouse is a depressing place for a person who cannot let go of their past and the warehouse is a sort of drug for them. I think this is what the director wanted to portray.

More over, we are not shown into peoples storage containers and I think this is has been done deliberately so we dont invade peoples belongings/space, but it leaves us guessing what the stories are behind the items hidden inside.

The documentary is narrated by several people each explaining their stories and struggles as to why they store away their items. I like this documentary because of the narration plays a key part in telling the story, we are left questioning who is speaking as it does not show the identity of the narrators, (just as we are left questioning what items they harbour in their containers.)

Overall i found this documentary very intriguing, it not only showed us the warehouse, but we got to hear the about peoples life's within this warehouse. I think the director was successful in dealing with its subject matter as it kept me watching and wanting to know more. I felt like the narrators wanted to tell their story to explain how they find comfort within the 'steel homes' and they did this well as I understand more about these storage facilities and why people use them.