Have you ever seen someone consistently out in the world but you realize that you never take the time to ponder about their life? Maybe it’s a regular at work or someone you see walking their dog in your neighborhood, but we rarely take the proper consideration to ask them more than the standard pleasantries. A lot of residents of West Hollywood would recognize Tony Powell, the owner of the legendary Holloway Motel, as he hangs outside with his pooch and looks over Santa Monica. Some might assume that he is just a fixture of the community, but The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel, from filmmakers Ramiel Petros and Nicholas Freeman, dives us so deeply into Powell’s life that we remember that declaring your truth knows no age.
Holloway Motel keeps swerving right when you think you know what it’s about. It begins as a portrait of a man losing his business and his home before it adds course on exploring Powell’s own self-discovery. It continues to make pit stops along the way as we learn how beloved Powell was as a professional soccer player. What sets this doc apart from other “true life tales” is how it never abandons the themes or pitstops as we continue our journey together. Holloway Motel carries everything around collectively not unlike how Powell has to pack up his life and find a new place to live. It’s almost like they place different genres together in the most unlikely puzzle.
How does someone make themselves untraceable? When you have had the experience of running away from your own life and your own insecurities, you become an expert at hiding yourself. “It was like he was wiped off the face of the earth,” says one of Powell’s sisters in the back half of Freeman and Petros’ film as they detail their confusion with re-connecting with their once-famous brother. In one of the documentary’s most indelible moments, Powell says that he lost contact with his family before a voice behind the camera offers, ‘You didn’t lose contact–they tried to find you.’ We do not often see a film where the filmmakers challenge the subject that they are trying to depict. Petro and Freeman crave honesty as they become closer to Powell–the man and the legend.
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel ends not with a period but a question mark, and the filmmakers and I briefly reflect on what it is like to end a film that way. Petros and Freeman know that one story does not simply end but our chapters spill into one another. The last few moments are so robust that it makes you feel like your heart is about to burst.
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel can be rented now on demand. Visit the film’s site to explore options.
