The Verona

Filmmaker's note

The Verona is my love letter to New York City's unsung heroes - its doormen. As a child growing up in an apartment building in Downtown Brooklyn, I viewed our building's doormen as protectors, standing guard like knights to fortify our building and its residents from harm. As I grew older I came to more fully appreciate our doormen for the crucial and unique role they played in our community; not just as keepers of peace in the building and on the block, but as enormous pillars of trust and stability in my life and the lives of my neighbors. It is for this reason that I chose to put doormen at the center of my first film.

In writing The Verona, I sought to articulate a dichotomy in the ways in which we interact with and perceive of people in service jobs. For some residents of The Verona, the building's doormen are beloved friends and neighbors, playing a sacred role in their lives. For others, the doormen are invisible, anonymous, existing only to serve. Through long and unforgiving hours, doormen work to make our lives just a little bit easier. While these essential workers are always there for us in our time of need, who is there to support them in theirs? How do class dynamics subtly affect our relationships with workers in service jobs? How do various forms of privilege impact these dynamics and relationships? With The Verona I explore these questions while also seeking to paint an authentic portrait of a New York City building and its diverse and eccentric residents.