Reviewed by Marshall McClean Directors: Chris Perkel, Georgie Roland
Starring/Documentary Subject: John Lokitis
Studio: Dog Player Films
Production Budget: $35,000 (estimated) Water Cooler Buzz: Centralia, Pennsylvania, is a modern-day ghost town, and it provided the requisite inspiration for screenwriter Roger Avary in penning the film Silent Hill. This documentary is a character study of one of the eleven remaining residents, who opts to stay because he cannot imagine life outside his decayed Pleasantville, and his opening and closing of the cemetery gates to keep the town alive is ironic. Is there something weird about keeping grandpa's pipe in the ashtray long after he's passed away? Description: In 1962, the Centralia, Penn., volunteer fire department set a controlled fire at the town dump in preparation for the annual Memorial Day celebration. Unable to extinguish the fire with local services, Centralia sought help from the state. According to some residents, the state responded with too little, too late. It is believed by some that a fifty-thousand-dollar solution (removing enough coal to cut off the fire's fuel source) had been missed by as little as three weeks, allowing the fire time to spread. Subsequent solution estimates from government agencies soared into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and prompted Pennsylvania to initiate the cheaper option of relocating the residents. Those who wanted to accept the relocation offer met with hostility from those who wanted to stay. So, like the earth beneath them, public opinion was divided by coal seams. Perkel and Roland focus primarily on the youngest and most vocal remaining resident, John Lokitis, who serves as the town's tour guide while lamenting the loss of community.
Lokitis fought the post office to keep Centralia on the map, calling local news stations for media attention, and his fight doesn't end there. He maintains public land, decorates town streets for holidays, and is the gatekeeper to the local cemetery. His dedication to the condemned town is admirable, and he states simply, "I can't imagine living anywhere else." Not everyone sees it the same way. Many of Centralia's former residents were glad to relocate, fearing health and safety risks. While one gas station owner measured the temperature in his tanks at 172 degrees Fahrenheit, sparking debate over the dangers the fire posed, concern peaked in 1981 when a 12-year-old boy nearly fell to his death in a sinkhole caused by the fire. The coal, once the literal and figurative foundation upon which this community was built, is now the cause of its demise. And while American flags wave throughout town, many residents feel let down by the government. Other towns have "vanished" from maps; it is part of the ebb and flow of industry and/or commerce. In The Town That Was, eleven remaining residents are living in state-owned houses on borrowed time. Ultimately, the struggle for existence may be too great, even for John Lokitis. His town is on fire and no one cares. Whether or not we should is another story. Official site: http://www.thetownthatwas.com | 
