Title – Secret Mall Apartment (2024)

Director – Jeremy Workman (Lily Topples the World)

Cast – Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young

Plot – A documentary exploration of a collection of Rhode Islanders who created a secret “apartment” inside the confines of a local mall, living and using the space over a number of years leading to an array of unexpected results.  

“Let’s all live in the mall”

Review by Eddie on 27/01/2026

A documentary with a subject matter that many would not believe to be plausible had it not in fact happened, Jeremy Workman’s Secret Mall Apartment shines a light on the incredible true story of a group of 8 Rhode Island residents, who across the span of 4 years built a secret apartment inside the Providence Place shopping mall, utilising the space as both a hangout zone and a creative hub in the most unlikeliest of circumstances.

Working once more alongside Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg, who serves as one of the documentaries producers here as he did on Workman’s 2018 documentary feature The World Before Your Feet, Workman manages to bring all 8 of the original players from the incident onto the screen to talk about the tale and utilises some of their self-shot footage from the period, creating an intimate DIY feeling product that is a unique and multi-layered examination of the whole time period.

Focussing far less on the actual secret apartment than many viewers might expect and arguably the film deserved, Apartment ends up becoming something more than a stereotypical documentary expose as Workman detours into various avenues across the films 90 minutes of runtime, that includes looks at the wider city, the power of art and how a simple prank or stunt can turn into something far more powerful against all the odds.

The sometimes unfocused approach by Workman may not work for all viewers, especially those that will feel like their time exploring the secret set-up and wider mall is constantly being disrupted by side stories, but you have to give credit to Workman, who manages to take an on paper simple set-up in unexpected directions and there’s a lot of fun to be had by getting to see what this apartment meant to those that used it as it becomes a bigger beast than they initially planned for when they moved in with a couch, a Playstation and a lot of takeaway food containers.

Lead by their “leader” and artist Michael Townsend, who also acts as the documentaries main mouthpiece, this is a ragtag group of people no doubt but their commitment to the cause at the time and their willingness to attempt a certain type of greatness is to be commended and while the documentary may leave a few avenues to yet be explored, there’s an amazing tale here that could make for a fantastic narrative feature film with the right people attached.

Final Say –

A unique and unbelievable true story becomes an equally unique documentary that isn’t what you might expect on first glance, making Secret Mall Apartment a strong feature that might not be a classic but a memorable one nonetheless.

3 1/2 cinder blocks out of 5