The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel on Netflix investigates the bizarre disappearance of 21-year-old Elisha Lam, a Canadian tourist staying at the infamous Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. From watching the trailer, one might assume that the documentary is in a horror/supernatural genre, it’s not, don’t worry, you’ll be able to sleep at night, which is important as Elisha Lam’s story is one that should be heard.
There are a number of elements that stand out within the documentary. The first is the juxtaposition of the Cecil Hotel and Elisha Lam. There is a sense you are watching a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood. On one side you have this eerie hotel, with its dark history of violence, whose corridors were once roamed by numerous serial killers, that is located on the boundary of one of America’s most dangerous neighbourhoods – Skid Row. In stark contrast to Elisha Lam, who is easily perceived as this innocent, inexperienced, and somewhat naïve, young woman. But when placed within the setting of the hotel and its shadowy history, it makes her feel like a little girl wandering through the woods on a dark and moonless night.
The most prominent element is the 5-minute hotel elevator video, in which, Elisha Lam’s haunting and disturbing antics are captured. The video has become the epicentre in relation to conspiracy theories launching numerous ideas into what happened to her. Who was she hiding from? Why is she pushing all the buttons? Why is the elevator door not closing? Is that someone else’s foot in the video? And, how did she end up on the rooftop?
The cast is a motley crew of diverse personalities that collide into the storyline. The hotel manager is somewhat amiss, but having to work in that environment and calling the police 3-times-a-night over the course of a few years would probably turn you that way. The web sleuths are feverish, much like a dog with a bone in their investigations, which is in stark contrast to the calmness of the Los Angeles detectives. But the most fascinating is the glimpse into Elisha Lam.
The use of her journal, Nouvelle-Nouveau, allows the viewer to grasp all angles of her personality, including her demons. Here, she addresses her struggle with depression, hinting at suicide. But then there are positive posts about finding herself, hence why she was vacationing in California. In the final episode of the documentary there is a harrowing story of how whenever she got scared she would hide under her bed, a trait that would later add clarity into how and why she disappeared.
There is one flaw to The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, in that is there is a piece of information that is revealed at the end of the story, that could have been revealed at the start, but understandably, that would have removed all the suspense. And, whilst it comes up short against other crime documentaries such as The Night Stalker, its strength is that it gives the viewer a glimpse into the world of those that are battling mental health.
