"Rusted" is a historical portrait of Holyoke—a city frozen in time by the brutal process of deindustrialization. Through the collective memory of its diverse immigrant working class, the film reconstructs the 1970s and 1980s, when Holyoke’s factories went silent and the community was left to endure decades of economic decline, disinvestment, and stagnation that continue to this day. The director draws a direct connection between this collapse and the rise of federal neoliberal policies that reshaped not only Holyoke but also the future of industrial cities across America.
The story unfolds in a circular arc, reflecting a reality that feels inescapable. Beginning in the present day, the film explores a city once vibrant with life, now burdened by poverty, crime, and neglect. From there, it turns back to Holyoke’s golden age as the “Paper City,” grounding the current crisis in its industrial past. The narrative then moves through the economic collapse of the 1970s and 1980s, before returning to the present, trapped in a loop of decline.
Woven throughout this journey is the rise of neoliberal policies and their assault on the working class, creating a powerful parallel that directly links federal decisions to the unraveling of the city’s future.
INTERVIEWS
The documentary will feature a series of interviews using oral history techniques, capturing the voices of those who lived through Holyoke’s decline. Through a multi-ethnic and multi-generational approach, the director aims to document the pain, resilience, and endurance of the working class, which the shifting tides of the economy have left behind.
Alongside these personal accounts, the film will feature insights from leading scholars, including Dr. Richard Forrant (University of Massachusetts, Lowell), a labor historian and former worker during the deindustrialization era.
LOCATIONS:
The documentary will feature a series of interviews using oral history techniques, capturing the voices of those who lived through Holyoke’s decline. Through a multi-ethnic and multi-generational approach, the director aims to document the pain, resilience, and endurance of the working class, which the shifting tides of the economy have left behind.
BRAKERS:
The director will use still shots, where the background naturally moves or reflects organic activity, to create moments of reflection for the viewer. These "braker shots" allow the audience to pause and absorb the information being presented. Most of these shots will highlight the natural elements that once supported Holyoke’s growth and success, while also showing how nature is slowly reclaiming what was once hers.
SOUND:
Sound plays a crucial role in the documentary, shaping the narrative in two key ways. First, natural ambient audio will be recorded on location, immersing the viewer in the physical and emotional atmosphere of each space. Second, sound will be used artistically to bridge past and present, recreating the organic echoes of abandoned places. These layered, poetic soundscapes invite the audience to imagine how these spaces once sounded, evoking a sense of time passing and the lingering solitude that remains.
ARCHIVAL:
Sound plays a crucial role in the documentary, shaping the narrative in two key ways. First, natural ambient audio will be recorded. Archival footage and images are essential to the documentary’s storytelling. Research and digitization are ongoing, and more time needs to be invested in this process, as few film materials from the 1960s to the 1990s have been found so far.
