Signe Rosenlund-Hauglid’s short film, A Home on Every Floor, is the story of its writer, poet Hanna Asefaw’s youth. When her Eritrean family moved to Norway in the 90s, her neighborhood was as idyllic as it gets for an immigrant family. Told in spoken word, Hanna describes her birth in an ambulance in front of her apartment because her mother’s papers said Hanna was supposed to be born days later.
As a child, Hanna recalls a friendlier time when neighbors were true neighbors. Groceries looked out for their customers, grandmas had endless supplies of candy, and the children played together in innocence.
Time has a way of tearing down what we love, as Hanna’s neighborhood was about to succumb to the drug crisis sweeping the world. Hanna recalls her friend…her bonus sister…Anine, who lived in a broken home. A fearful Anine would stay with Hanna when her father came home.
“…Norway in the 90s, her neighborhood was as idyllic as it gets for an immigrant family.”
A Home on Every Floor is a powerful poem told by Hanna Asefaw, who appears behind a series of miniatures representing her home and her neighborhood. The miniature sets are meticulously detailed, and those empty; there’s a small spark of warmth in their cold and empty settings.
As the camera pans through the set, Hanna performs her poem, peering in from the outside. She occasionally interacts with the model for effect.
A Home on Every Floor addresses the global crisis of affordable housing, gentrification, and how we as a society no longer value the concept of “neighbors.” Hanna’s words point out the rose-colored glasses that children wear when observing the world around them and how the cold realities of life cause them to lose their luster.
"…crisis of affordable housing, gentrification, and how we as a society no longer value the concept of 'neighbors.'"
