The Manor

The Manor is a dramatic, poignant, and often comedic documentary film that debuted at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in 2013. Filmmaker Shawney Cohen, making his directorial debut, offers audiences an intimate and unflinching view into his extraordinary family and the unusual business they operate: a strip club called "The Manor."

From the outset of this heartfelt documentary, The Manor defies typical documentary tropes, diving into the intimate and often contentious dynamics of a seemingly unconventional family. It introduces the Cohen family, depicting them not as people managing a strip club but as souls grappling with their personal issues, family strife, and societal judgment.

The owner of the club, Roger Cohen, dominates the narrative with his larger-than-life personality and equally grand physical presence. He opens his heart to his son and the camera, informing both the audience and Shawney about his struggles to reconcile his own moral quandaries about the nature of his business.

Brenda Cohen, Roger's wife and a figure of significant emotional gravity throughout the film, challenges the traditional viewpoints of what a mother’s role is within such a unique family unit. Struggling with obesity and unhealthy habits, she paints a poignant picture of a woman fighting internal battles while maintaining an unwavering support system for her family.

Inviting audiences into their journey is their son, Shawney Cohen, the primary lens through which the viewers experience The Manor. After taking up a role in the business, he must grapple with the unpredictable terrain of a strip club from the perspective of both participant and observer.

The fourth and final family member is Gillian Brown, who brings a refreshing perspective and provides a counterbalance within this eccentric family. Her role often goes beyond that of a sister or daughter as she often acts as the voice of reason and moral compass for the family.

The Manor’s unconventional setting fosters an unusual mix of characters whose lives intersect with the Cohen's strip club, providing a central stage to explore broader themes about family, morality, and the dichotomy of the public and private life. This is not a movie about a strip-club business per se; rather, it uses that context to paint a humanized picture of an unorthodox family, their trials, their loves, and their enduring connectivity.

By taking us into "The Manor," the filmmakers offer a look into the bustling, lewd world while artfully handling the inevitable conflicts that arise. Cohen's style leans away from judgment while portraying the club's employees and patrons, focusing on their humanity and the social environment they form part of.

With its familiar family tensions played out against the backdrop of a small-town strip club, The Manor is a film that gives interplay to sorrow, humor, and the depths of love that family members share. We laugh, we empathize, but most importantly, we come to care deeply for this extended group of complex individuals that make up the unique milieu.

Stylistically, the film is beautifully shot and creatively composed, combining intimate interviews with dramatic footage of the strip club's day-to-day operations. This technique borrows elements from observational, participatory and reflexive modes of documentary filmmaking. It provokes thought and evokes unexpected emotional responses in viewers, who are invited to reflect not only on the nature of the Cohen family business, but also the universal themes of love, struggle, acceptance, and aspiration that underpin their story.

It is a complex portrait of a family, displaying their flaws and confrontations all while managing their unusual line of business. Yet, it never strays from the essential truth that they are simply a family: a clan of individuals who love, fight, forgive, and strive to live together in the best way they know how.

With honest humor, bruising sadness, and unexpected moments of sheer humanity, The Manor is a movie not easily forgotten. It is a compelling mosaic of life in an atypical family, and in it, viewers may find universal themes that resonate deeply with their own experiences. This is the beauty of The Manor: an inspired, heartful exploration of the human condition in its many forms, and a testament to the enduring strength of family unity through thick and thin.