Dernier étage gauche gauche

I saw this film as part of the Ghent filmfestival 2011. The announcement reminded me of Fase 7 (Goldbart; 2011), where an apartment building is quarantined due to some disease. From that moment on anything can happen: between neighbors, against the outside world, and inside an apartment. Though the film at hand went in a totally different direction than Fase 7, the fact that anything can happen is demonstrated here again. The main characters discover things about each other, revealing until then unknown sides. And the outside world, in the form of city council, police force and building owner, does not always work logically and efficiently. On itself nothing new, but such are the main ingredients. And still succeeded in keeping our attention span for the whole time.

Common to both films is that we are very much dependent on the main characters while being confined in such a closed environment. Are they believable, do we get their motives, is there enough material to entertain us for a feature film duration?? Given the starting situation as outlined in the synopsis, we can only sit back and hope for the best, as no one can predict what will happen after the start. It is very difficult to describe the good things in this film without spoiling, but I'll try.

The story starts at 9/11, which explains that the police jumped to the wrong conclusion that the apartment became the target of Muslim terrorism. But the son's extraneous reaction when the police knocks on their door, is only caused by him having 10K worth of cocaine lying around, and that he suspects them coming for him. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as the police is just accompanying a bailiff collecting an outstanding debt from the father. From that initial moment on, developments scatter in many directions.

The internal struggles in the apartment (father, son and the bailiff who was taken hostage) on one hand, and the interactions with the outside world on the other hand, keep us entertained for 110 minutes. Circling around are the inevitable SWAT team, negotiators and other officials, who are not always as effective as we might expect. The trio in the apartment (father, son, bailiff) have their own problems in the mean time. And the bailiff who was taken hostage, creates some unexpected turbulence after phone calls with his wife, wherein she told to have just canceled a marriage counseling meeting. All in all, I saw a good comedy, with an ending that is a bit unexpected (again, I won't spoil it for you). Not a master piece that we will remember for years to come, but still good work. What impressed me most was the very long list of final credits.

OK companion piece to the also appealing SKIRT DAY, with Roth's Gendarmes busting the run down public housing flat, where bailiff Giradot is conducting an eviction.

When the confusion settles, Girardot has been taken hostage by teenage dope peddler Saïdi, over the objections of his dad Fellag, and the SWAT team is on the way, over the objections of the police commander who had 1400 cars burned the last time.

Farcical complications and suspense take the piece in unexpected directions.

Subdued colour and convincing location work.

the story began with a sudden act of craziness, ended with another. in between, it was a package of twists and comedy that kept me interested for, well, almost, the entire duration.

beneath the humor, the story showed us how people, when pushed to a corner, became more honest with themselves and their relationships. and how craziness transcended races. a turn in the story and a jobless drunkard Algerian immigrant man became a caring father. another turn and a couple who were about to visit a marriage counsellor rediscovered their love. as the story progresses, the layers peel off the characters and we're left with 3 humans. crazy to varying degrees. loving and caring.

towards the end, the plot seemed to run out of breath. it came alive again when the hostage took charge of the situation.