Paolo Puliga

Under the Roller Coaster

This enchanting film examines the true-life experience of one woman and her unique relationship to Coney Island living under the famed Thunderbolt Roller Coaster. The destruction of the Thunderbolt, one of the last remaining Coney Island icons, represented the end of an era in the amusement area's ever-evolving history. The film celebrates the Thunderbolt coaster as a piece of architecture that holds memories through which we gain insight into the history of New York and its people. Mae's story is a window onto a lost world and makes us think about the importance of place in a new way.