House of Charm

House of Charm is the portrait of Lee, a woman whose eccentricities conceal a beauty, intelligence and charm that most people cannot or do not see. I met Lee in 2003 when I moved around the corner from her. At first, like others in the neighborhood, I knew her as a shopping-cart pushing eccentric, early morning raider of recycling bins, a tatterdemalion whose dilapidated house was an eyesore. Indeed, a glimpse at her life does lead most people to think that Lee is crazy, depressed or both. But over the years that I have known her, what has continued to strike me most about Lee is her contentment. In spite of the chaos around her, Lee is happy, both with herself and with her life—an enviable state that eludes so many of us. A social worker by training, I am interested in the cultural constructs that surround mental health. Who decides who is “crazy” and who is “sane”? Is something wrong with Lee? Is she crazy? Or does her equanimity in the midst of squalor point to some secret the rest of us are missing? I don’t have the answers, but I do know that I have learned so much from Lee—about beauty, age, self-perception, confidence, and the way the world views those who are different. This project is my way of understanding Lee, of seeing and honoring a person so many dismiss or reject. I hope that viewers will look beyond the shocking veneer of her surroundings and see the dignity and contentment that are Lee’s defining traits.