Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel Review

Hooo boy, I'm getting a little tired of popcorn. Yesterday I saw three sets of movies, all in a row and all at the Bloor. From 5:50pm to 1:30am all activity consisted of waiting in line, buying snacks, and sitting on my butt for 2 plus hours. Rinse and repeat. My lower back is still complaining about crappy seats with not enough cushion (Bloor seats are so inferior to Royal). Tonight we take a breather and hang out at home. I think I'll avoid popcorn. Here's my review of "Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel".

Last Call at The Gladstone Hotel
(Canada, directed by Derreck Roemer & Neil Graham)

The stately corner facade of the Gladstone Hotel is a Toronto landmark. For better or for worse, Toronto's oldest continuously operational hotel has reflected the times and people who slept within its walls. Once it housed businessmen and upper class tourists, then like its Parkdale surroundings it declined and became a flop house and permanent residence for those living below the poverty line. Now, it has seen a transformation once again to unique art centre and boutique hotel. Amazingly, film makers Neil Graham and Derrek Roemer were there to capture this most recent transformation over the last five years and document how the residents of the Gladstone, as well as the hotel itself, changed almost completely. The larger question of gentrification, and the displacement of lower income neighbourhoods, remains at the heart of the film. The Gladstone serves as a microcosm for what is happening in urban centres around the world. Who is to blame when people can no longer afford their rent? Is it better to save a building or preserve a home? The film wisely offers no easy answers.

Directors Graham and Roemer were regular patrons of the Hotel Bar. They were filming in the late 90s when the Gladstone was a popular choice for locals who sought live music, cheap beer and a waiting staff "who weren't thinking about their acting careers". A shared appreciation of the hotel was the starting point for the duo to cultivate relationships with hotel staff and residents. Trust was earned and the casual camerawork reflects the sometimes unplanned conversations that were captured. Over the years the old owners had to sell, deals were made, and renovations on the building began. Then dramatically renovations stopped, business partnerships collapsed, and staff complained that the building was literally falling down on top of them. Through it all the camera recorded the heartbreak, anger and excitement from everyone involved. The film appeals as a terrific piece of drama. It draws you into individual lives and the struggle to survive. The long periods of time when little happens are condensed and the pace remains constant. This is not the most polished film, however, with both audio and picture quality sometimes on the rough side of verite.

In the end, a new day dawns for the Gladstone Hotel. It is bittersweet but the issues are too complex for anything but a mixed resolution. The future of the Gladstone, Parkdale and all of Toronto are left to the forces of economic evolution and human compassion. Who knows what changes the Gladstone will see in the next hundred years. 4 out of 5