As of 2023, there is no American city or county in which a renter working full time and earning minimum wage can afford a market-rate one-bedroom apartment. In recent decades, as public housing has been systematically defunded and dismantled, Single Room Occupancy hotels have played a private, stop-gap role in providing shelter for those on society's margins. In San Francisco, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, 20,000 residents, including families, call SROs home.
Home is a Hotel is the story of a newly single mom in Chinatown, a blind songwriter fighting harassment and eviction, a former couple in recovery living together to co-parent a six-year-old son, a graffiti artist painting murals for the tech companies gentrifying his neighborhood, and a determined mother searching for her runaway daughter. Each of them is trying to craft a brighter future within the four walls of their 80 square foot rooms, which, despite their meager offerings, can still cost above $900 a month. Facing infestations, shared bathrooms, and hostile landlords, life inside SROs often prove to offer additional obstacles, rather than alleviating them. Through a deep and long-lasting immersion in these stories, a composite portrait materializes, not only of life for those living in SROs, but also of the current state of the American dream for an ever-growing segment of the population.
Filmed over six years, this character-driven verité documentary immerses viewers in what it means to call a single room home, and demonstrates how the conditions of poverty are all too often cyclical and inherited by younger generations. Home is a Hotel is an expansive journey through cramped spaces against crushing odds in the heart of one of the world's wealthiest cities.
"Home is a Hotel shows in raw detail that the American Dream is illusory for many Americans because our government has accepted the existence of poverty as a given, instead of attacking it on all sides in order to create a fairer, more well-functioning society. Highly Recommended." — LaRoi Lawton, Bronx Community College CUNY for Educational Media Reviews Online
"A fantastic documentary through and through... Will fit into any collection about social issues or college libraries serving large sociology and public service departments. By focusing on the individuals who are forced to live in this hastily created 'solution' to robust public services and social safety nets, Home is a Hotel easily keeps itself centered without overwhelming the audience. This outstanding documentary is a masterclass in fly-on-the-wall documentation: At several points, you'll forget that the camera and its operator are even there. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice." — J. Zimmerman, Video Librarian
"There is not a more timely or important film for the Bay Area in its current housing crisis. Home is a Hotel is essential viewing to promote empathy for those who are faced with the insurmountable challenges of affordability in San Francisco. Made by local filmmakers, this critical film thoughtfully captures an overlooked population worthy of our attention." — SFFilm Jury Statement
"A poignant, powerful documentary... The people in Home is a Hotel are compelling, complicated, endearing, tragic, funny and relatable, despite having been dealt some incredibly rough hands... In between these intimate, often painful stories, tenderly framed shots of San Francisco provide a moment for the viewer to take a breath — as well as commentary on the staggering inequality that's come to characterize the city over the last decade." — Emma Silvers, KQED
"A gentle but very powerful piece... Home is a Hotel is heart opening and offers a humanizing window and perspective into the housing struggle in San Francisco." — Mel Reyes, San Francisco Public Library
"Anyone who cares about housing justice should watch this film. Anyone looking for an intimate view of housing for the very poorest San Franciscans and the lives of those who inhabit these spaces should see this film." — Jennifer Friedenbach, Coalition on Homelessness
"A gripping view" — Richmond Review
"Paints a unique portrait of the city." — San Francisco Chronicle
"Home is a Hotel shows the dire need to stop treating low-income families and individuals as second class citizens, trying to usher them out of sight rather than to truly help. The subjects are endearing, strong and resilient, there are some genuinely moving moments and some that are painful to watch but all throughout it has a sense of hope...The documentary focuses on the people they impact, and how they refuse to give up." — Film Carnage
"Poetry" — Joe Talbot, Director, The Last Black Man in San Francisco
"From the opening panoramic shots of beautiful San Francisco landmarks, the doc offers a sobering contrast of what it's like to live in the precarious margins, where one bad day can ruin one's life." — EatDrinkFilms
"Fantastic job on conveying the richness of the lives of individuals and families living in SROs in San Francisco. Rather than focusing on the doom loop narrative of San Francisco, this film chose instead to honor its subjects with a more human narrative and lift me with a feeling of empathy and tenderness, rather than despair." — Carla Pardo, Google
Citation
Main credits
Wong, Kevin Duncan (film director)
Wong, Kevin Duncan (film producer)
Sills, Todd (film director)
Sills, Todd (film producer)
Tham, Kar Yin (film director)
Tham, Kar Yin (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Seng Chen, Kevin Duncan Wong; editing, Kristina Motwani; music, Catherine Joy.
