Chelsea Lupkin
A
film about what it means to be truly home, The Rolling Mill by Dillon Hayes is a unique documentary that tells the story of the forgotten city of Cumberland, Maryland and the people who live there. Following the lives of 12 homeowners and a mayor who attempts to force them to sell as part of a strategy to revive the community, this short documentary is a bittersweet tale of American economic struggle on a local scale. Above all else, Hayes’ film paints a sadly romantic picture of a group of people who still believe in the American Dream and what that means to them.
In a city like Cumberland, that continues to struggle to survive and adapt in a world that expands and moves around them rather than with them, Hayes captures the nuance of the issue at hand. There aren’t “bad guys”, but rather people with different agendas who all have the same love for the city they live in, despite their differing views. Hayes gives each individual in the film a platform to have their voice heard, allowing his audience to become a kindred spirit thus offering a view of the American South. For this reason, it’s almost impossible to take sides and with the hypnotic score coupled with footage that makes Cumberland as beautiful to his audience as it is to its residents, it’s a film that stays with you.
As Hayes relates to Short of the Week:
“I’ve always been interested in the concept of the American Dream and the difficulties people endure to achieve it, and, in this city, people who have achieved their version of that dream are showing their commitment to it.”
The Rolling Mill depicts the American Dream as something that the members of Cumberland seem to be forever chasing, having earned their homes, lived their lives, and built memories in the small city that Industry has all but left behind. It’s Hayes’ ability to illustrate a holistic view on this dream with drastically differing perspectives that make it so special to experience. It’s these contradictory ideas of what one’s home and ultimate place in society is which make it so important to understand at the present. The film subtly reveals America’s nature and how many people are afraid to confront change or are not equipped to do so.
I wanted to drive conversation about what liberty in America looks like.
Reminiscent of Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, The Rolling Mill echoes an entire country’s conflicting ideals, with people who simply want to better the communities they love. And much like the ending of it, America is infinitely optimistic as a nation. Hayes’ message is clear: There comes a time in your life when you have to move on to move forward.