Behind the Wheel
A documentary about a parking lot challenges viewers to think about cars, capitalism, and human dignity.
Review by Alex Rowin
When I saw the title for The Parking Lot Movie when I was in college, I thought, “No way they made a movie about a parking lot interesting; it’s just a parking lot.” Despite my thoughtful reservations, I decided to watch it, mostly out of curiosity and, if I’m being honest, probably boredom. Within the first minute, it hooked me.
The Parking Lot Movie is a documentary about a pay-to-park lot in Charlottesville, Virginia, and interviews the parking lot attendants who work there. Originally released in 2010, the documentary focuses on the employees: a mix of philosophy majors, religious studies majors, and art students. The lot itself is on the small side, a triangular plot of land situated behind bars and restaurants near the University of Virginia. It has a small toll booth to accept payment, a humble booth with no air conditioning, no heater, and just enough space for one person to stand in to avoid the elements. As one employee points out, “It’s the kind of parking structure where Jesus would have collected parking fees.”
The parking attendants working the lot love their job, and at times probably take it too seriously. As with any service sector job, the employees hold grudges against entitled customers and become experts at judging people based on what type of vehicle they drive. They also have plenty of downtime to discuss the existential implications of their job as a parking lot attendant. Where do they fit within society and the structure of a capitalist nation that worships the automobile? Are they merely parking lot attendants? Or are they gatekeepers to a place where they, not the vehicle owners, are now in charge of the cars?
While reflecting on his time at the parking lot, one employee shares, “Once that gate goes up and a car comes in, people apparently enter this no man’s land of a place where civic order and rules cease to apply. People tend to lose a sense of perspective and self, and they feel entitled to park.” In the parking lot, the employees deal with customers who are stressed about parking in general, or upset they have to pay to park in the first place. An incident in the middle of the documentary between a customer and an employee arguing over fifty cents seems risible, but anyone who has worked in a service sector position knows this type of argument is an unfortunate reality of the job. To many, it seems absurd to pay to park, but the attendants of the parking lot don’t share this sentiment. As one employee explains, with other places that provide a service or product there’s the assumption that “the customer is always right” and “if you have money, you have a right to get whatever that money can buy you, but in the parking lot those assumptions were simply not true.”
The employees place a lot of this blame of losing respect for others on the car itself.
The customer drives into the parking lot because they need a place to put their car. In many cases, they don’t have any other option; they need to park in this lot or go home. This reality gives the attendants the sense of power within the system. They may not have a glamorous job or be in a position that some would consider prestigious, but they take money from everyone who parks there just the same. The person in the beat-up ‘92 Honda Civic pays the same as the person in the $50,000 Range Rover. And the lot attendant is in charge of taking money from both, a responsibility they don’t take lightly. Because the lot doesn’t have a gate keeping cars from just driving past the pay booth, employees sometimes run into customers taking advantage of this honor system. In one scene, a driver takes off out of the lot without paying, and the lot attendant hits and kicks the car, screaming at them as they drive away. Another attendant describes hanging on to the back of one vehicle and being dragged down the road, all over a couple of dollars. Customers behaving this way are met with different responses from the lot attendants, but the general sentiment is one of anger and resentment. One employee explains, “We’re all human beings, and we are all deserving of a certain amount of respect and dignity. And when I don’t see that coming from people out here it kind of pisses me off.”
The employees place a lot of this blame of losing respect for others on the car itself. The entitlement someone feels while driving starts with the car. There’s something about the American fascination with the car that seems to be in our nature, almost as if there’s some need to go fast and rev the engine, losing our patience and common courtesy in the process. Tailgating, running through that yellow light, speeding, etc.—it’s not only in a parking lot that people tend to lose their sense of self; it’s in the car, too.
I do feel like a different person when I drive, often getting angry at things I wouldn’t normally. I think one reason includes forgetting that there’s another human in the other cars around me, someone who has their own life going on as well. It’s easy to forget when you can’t physically speak to them or, in some cases, can’t even see them. One employee of the parking lot observes that you would never yell or scream at someone walking down the street; it’s not socially acceptable. But in a car, we suddenly become a different person, honking and screaming for someone to move out of the way. While a cyclist or pedestrian may see roads or parking lots one way, a driver will see them completely differently behind the windshield that cuts them off from their environment.
People want to be in charge of where they go and when. And other humans can be seen as obstacles to someone driving their own car and trying to get somewhere on their own schedule.
Cars provide Americans with an individualized way to travel. No fixed schedule to adhere to, no tickets to purchase or exchange, just a personalized way of getting from point A to point B. It’s a large part of why passenger rails disappeared across the U.S. during the 20th century. People want to be in charge of where they go and when. And other humans—whether another driver, a bike, or a pedestrian—can be seen as obstacles to someone driving their own car and trying to get somewhere on their own schedule. This individualization runs directly opposite into the idea of needing to pay to park. As the documentary points out, there’s an attitude of “It’s my car. I bought it. It should come with a parking space wherever I go.”
Watching the movie again, I couldn’t help but see myself on the screen. Why do I find myself relating to the customer when they argue about paying to park? It’s a small amount of money compared to the amount I already spent on the car, so why argue over the cost of keeping it somewhere convenient? The film’s director and producer, Meghan Eckman, paces the documentary in a way that gives the viewer time to reflect on what interviewees just said. Just as the employees in the lot have time to hang out and reflect on their lives, the viewer gets a similar opportunity to consider their thoughts on cars, parking, and the system we’ve created, one that requires us to have to pay for parking. Maybe more importantly, The Parking Lot Movie reminds us there’s a human both operating the car and the parking lot, and that paying a few dollars for convenience doesn’t warrant degrading another person.
As the documentary moved along, I felt more compelled to sell my car and bike everywhere. Because I live in the middle of suburban sprawl, I know that’s not feasible. Besides, a drastic change in lifestyle isn’t necessary for me to realize it’s possible to treat people with respect while driving. But realizing that does require my attention. That’s what Eckman does in The Parking Lot Movie; she forces us to pay attention to the complex human elements of what I thought was just a parking lot. Other drivers on the road aren’t just other cars, or lot attendants just an obstacle to getting somewhere. I’m glad for the reminder to drive like I believe that.
Alex Rowin is a school counselor who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his wife, Melissa, and their two dogs, Daphne and Dory.
The Parking Lot Movie was directed by Meghan Eckman and released by Redhouse Productions on March 15, 2010. It is available to stream on a variety of platforms.
