Thanks to its thoughtful protagonists and filmmaker Jeremy Workman, what starts out as a quirky human interest story becomes a profoundly humane portrait of creativity and community.

It’s consistently, thoughtfully engaging. And, yes, often very funny in its open-hearted embrace of the DIY spirit, legal or otherwise.

For all its big ideas, Secret Mall Apartment is full of charm and wonder. This is a breezy 91 minutes to spend with this idealistic group of people, and it’s easy to see why they kept coming back to the space they created, despite its dangers.

His attitude permeates the film… playful, modest, unstoppably creative.