“The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel” Looks at Fear’s Impact on Connection
On my walk to the tennis courts every morning, I see the same woman. We wait for the same crosswalk light to turn before we go our separate ways. I’m sure over the years we’ve said a word or two, but never anything of substance. There are strangers we see every day who are as much a part of our routine as the people we know well. This woman is one of those strangers. Perhaps one day I’ll strike up a conversation with her and find myself in a situation similar to that of Nicholas Freeman and Ramiel Petros, directors of The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel.
In the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles sits the Holloway Motel. It has been a staple of the cityscape for years, but the time has finally come for it to close. Tony Powell is the manager of the Holloway Motel. Anyone who lives in WeHo would likely recognize Tony. He spends most of the day sitting on his balcony with his old little Chihuahua named Sam, but it’s fairly safe to say that none of these people really know Tony. Even those he calls friends know that much of his past is a secret.
Courtesy of The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel, for all the secrets of the man at its center, seems like it could go down the true crime route. That’s not where Tony’s life leads though. Instead, it’s a weird, melancholy reflection on a compartmentalized existence. Tony was born in England and spent most of his life there until the 1980s. While he doesn’t talk much about his family, he’s more than willing to talk about his professional soccer career. In the ’70s, Tony was a defender for Norwich City Football Club, where he helped promote the team to First Division (what is now the Premier League).
So what makes a man who’s living the dream of most kids in England walk away from it all? The short answer is fear. Tony is a gay man and the time he spent closeted as a footballer in the spotlight became too much to bear. He hit a breaking point and ran full speed away from it all. Fear of what his brother, sisters, and parents would say kept him from having a relationship with them. He never gave them the chance and, as such, deprived everyone.
Courtesy of The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel
“Take care of yourself. I want to see you again.” Tony’s older brother, Roy, repeats that sentiment to Tony over and over. The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel is a gentle reminder that everyone loses out when fear guides our actions. People deserve a chance to prove themselves. We might assume they’ll react one way or another when presented with news, but they deserve a chance to prove those expectations as incorrect. Over the course of The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel, Tony allows himself to shed the protective barriers he’s built over the more intimate parts of his life. He’s always been a gregarious guy, but that was armor of sorts, protecting him from being hurt by those around him.
The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel puts life in perspective. Over the course of the film, Tony suffers medical scares, the loss of a loved one, and the feeling of being found again by family members. It’s an emotional journey that pushes him to places he’d been avoiding for decades. This is a thoughtfully intimate documentary about life’s ebbs and flows, and the metaphorical boat we build to weather these highs and lows.
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