A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur (2016)

movie

Country: Switzerland, USA
Genres: Biography, Documentary, Drama
Release: 2020-11-08
Director: Tyler A. Chase
Writers: Krista Blomberg , Lisette Cevallos , Tyler A. Chase
Language: English
Stars: Brian Cox (I)
Runtime: 101 min
Awards: 14 wins & 11 nominations
AKA: A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur , A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur (United States of America)
Plot: A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur mocks the analogy that "a man's home is his castle." This film is shot throughout seven years and follows Arthur Wood and his wife, Cynthia Wood, their children, foes, neighbors, officials and Human Rights Experts as the fight for the iconic building, Broken Angel is waged. Arthur and Cynthia raise their two children and continue building in the Broken Angel for twenty seven years. Television and news media from all over the world interview them for televised specials about their 108 foot home. Then in 2006 a movie called Block Party with Dave Chapelle is filmed using Broken Angel as a backdrop. Shortly after that a mysterious fire breaks out on the roof. Despite the fire being put out and the old couple being returned to their home by firemen, a Kafkaesque cabal of city agencies, under the guise of public safety, pursues the Woods. A police team arrives days later to cordon off streets, arrest and evict Arthur, his wife Cynthia (and their dog). Backs against the wall and forced to live in a Volkswagon outside their padlocked home, they are approached by various individuals and urged by the Department of Buildings and a local politician to work with a particular developer. "In fact it was printed in the New York Times before any agreement was made" (quote from the Developer). Arthur naively allows control of his property to slip away in exchange for shallow promises of saving his iconic building. The developer uses the property as collateral for a loan with the promise to restore the building to code, build condos and create a museum in the empty lot that will belong solely to the Woods. With what appears to be good cop, bad cop tactics, things deteriorate. Forced to dismantle his creation stick by stick without due process or recourse and finding no pro bono legal help, Arthur braves unforgiving court systems. Cynthia's health disintegrates from the endless stress and she participates in a disturbing enactment of what it feels like to lose your home. Months later she dies. In solidarity the film maker explores Human Rights violations in housing and brings Arthur to testify for the United Nations UPR of Human Rights Violations at Columbia University. A Castle in Brooklyn, King Arthur is a riveting, seven year condensed capsule of American life that evaporated in a NY minute.
IMDB:tt2610182