Remember Me, My Ghost

For a long time, the Ballymun Towers were the symbol of social degradation in Dublin, Ireland. A renovation project began in 1998 in an attempt to let the area start with a clean slate, and the familiar high-rise buildings had to be demolished. In , we see black-and-white images of the desolate, empty buildings waiting to be dismantled. We hear someone screaming for the hell of it and the noise of demolition machines. Inside, we see the junk left behind and the walls covered in messages of farewell. We hardly see any residents, just some bored youngsters hanging around in the porches, drinking and smoking. The loitering teens are very much part of the building, as we understand from the story of a former resident. When she and her children first came to live there a long time ago, she thought her apartment was incredibly cozy. But Ballymun was full of junkies, and the entrance hall smelled of urine. Playing outside was too dangerous for the kids, so they had to spend their childhood indoors. The arrival of her violent new boyfriend didn't exactly improve their family life. He smoked heroin in front of the children and eventually set the apartment on fire. Her story says a great deal about the hard life in Ballymun, but she doesn't think knocking down the buildings will make things any better.