Getting a little closer to the American dream amid giant washing machines and washing machines? By offering a dive into the heart of the largest laundromat in the world, open day and night and located in Berwyn, in the suburbs of Chicago, director Auberi Edler has pulled off a great coup. Aided by Barbara Bascou’s skilful editing, Darcy Padilla’s moving photos and Alex Tran’s understated yet haunting music, Auberi Edler rotates her camera in this fascinating 1,300 square meter venue, where customers stroll through the of 300 gleaming machines.
We come here to wash our clothes, but not only: we hang out there, we chat there, we eat there. The eyes are tired, the television screens spit out the news of the day, it is the America of a daily life neither glorious nor miserable, where the employees toil like crazy, notably carrying heavy bags of dirty laundry for a salary that will not allow them access to a mythical American dream.
Central character of this documentary, Tom Benson. A warm boss with everyone, generous when he signs a check to help a deserving student, but also ruthless when it comes to money. The slightest request for leave, the slightest salary increase, everything is negotiated hard, face to face, in an office, with the boss or his son. Behind the compliments of rigor and the smiles emerges an American duel, a mixture of hypocrisy and harshness.
Impoverished neighborhood
The journey of Tom Benson, who came from the working world, landed in Berwyn in 1999, recounts, through the adventure of his giant laundry which has become a local institution, a certain America. “When I bought this place, it was a working-class neighborhood. I understand their reality, my parents were like them. When I raise prices by 25 cents, I know the impact it has on them, it’s not easy…”
All the more difficult since, for twenty years, the neighborhood of white workers has become impoverished, becoming predominantly Hispanic. Many undocumented Mexicans are part of the clientele and, among the twenty employees wearing the regulation blue T-shirt, many are women from Mexico, who entered the United States illegally more or less a long time ago.
Facing the camera, during the lunch break or after a hard day (or night) at work, their poignant testimonies offer another image of America. “I have spent my whole life working hard in this country. The American dream ? I will never realize it. After all these years here in the United States, I have nothing, neither a house nor a car,” confesses Lulu.
In this extraordinary laundromat, people come as much to wash their clothes as to take advantage of the morning distributions of coffee and donuts. Or, better yet, the free pizza buffet and children’s entertainment scheduled on Wednesday evenings. Tom’s idea, of course. “Being close to your community, as we try to be here, is vital. But everything I do has to make money for me. On Wednesday evening, we started distributing pizzas and hiring a clown for the children. Result: Wednesday, which was the worst night of the week with 20-30 customers, now attracts 150-200! A certain vision of America.
