Geraghty incredibly maintains the dignity of his subjects despite their challenges throughout Motel Drive. Despite all his shortcomings, Jason seems hellbent on offering a better life than he had for his son. We see how the impossibilities of poverty continually set everyone up to lose, yet people keep fighting to rise. There is this great shot from inside a giant culvert pipe looking out at the motels. It is reoccurring and illustrates the tunnel all the poor people are trapped inside.
The filmmaker never indulges in exploiting the self-destructive behavior of the forever guests. It is referred to, and we see the outer evidence of sex customers’ cars pulled in and out of the parking lot, but the documentary is in no way poverty porn. Geraghty shows exactly how the economic devastation of Fresno caused by infrastructure choices led to it being the meth capital of the world. Yet everyone running through the glass pipe maze seems to be trying to find a way out. Justin’s experience is particularly tragic, as he had no fault in what he had to endure. Yet he never complains and keeps on trucking as this is all he has known. There is a lot of inspiration eventually found, but you would never know it was coming due to how dire everything seems initially.
“The twists and turns throughout can be gut-wrenching, but there is light at the end…”
One of the reasons I was drawn to Motel Drive is an obsession with mid-century Americana. I love those yesteryear signs of the old Route 66 motels and staying at any still standing. I think it is awful that this style of architecture has become a symbol for hard drug havens. However, just like the look of these motels is uniquely American, so are the economic catastrophes that drag them down.
In Motel Drive, we see a local effort during the razing to save some of the signs and restore them. They are now in their own park. They are beautiful. There is a scene at the end of the movie that features the sign park that also shows how beautiful the residents are too. The twists and turns throughout can be gut-wrenching, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. With his first documentary feature, Geraghty has delivered one of the most striking statements about the American housing nightmare we have seen.
Motel Drive screened at the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…never indulges in exploiting the self-destructive behavior of the forever guests..."
