Conviviendo con la muerte

I had a strange memory of this film. Unsettling. Frightening. Every so often I meet someone who's a devotee of Apartment Zero and I kept meaning to see it again. Well, last night, it happened. It took me completely by surprise. Clearly the first time I saw it I hadn't venture "into" the apartment. This time I did. Colin Firth is, is, I can't find the words. He creates a character I've never seen before in a movie. The sort of character you keep at arms length. Too creepy and gloomy but before you know it, you're with him, you feel for him, you start to recognize him until you say, wow, that's me. Hart Bochner is pure perfection as the catalyst with the mask. The characters in the building, the Greek chorus, are a xenophobe's nightmare. Elegant, brittle, hilarious and yes, terrifying at times but look at it. Where is the terror coming from? It points in one direction but you go there on your own. Oh yes. This Zero is a Ten.

An original film!! I enjoyed it from the moment it started!! A very appealing film. Wonderful cast!! A must for Geraldine Page fans (you have to see it to understand that)!!!! An unknown little gem!!

I recently went through a sudden bout of Colin Firth obsession and was digging through his filmography when I came across this hidden gem. Apartment Zero is a gripping, intense, offbeat and immensely original psychological thriller filmed three decades ago. Some of the preferred techniques (like the frequent use of super close-ups and the style of background music) employed here might be reminiscent of vintage films from a bygone era. Much like in fashion, pop music and pop literature, certain cinematic styles, themes and techniques went in and out of fashion throughout time, sometimes induced by influential works of the time, changes in social and ideological landscape, or technological advances. This gives works from a certain era a decided "look" and "feel", which may seem dated when revisited decades later, though I do not think "dated" is necessarily a bad look. Retro can be cool and inspired. Since this film is older than me and I'm not much of a cinephile, I have no idea if this film was viewed as original and unusual when it first came out as it is now, or if films of that period all had that similar style or theme. But I can't help but be hopelessly pulled into the story and immersed in the protagonist's strange and oddly specific world, even though there was no flashy CGI or overly picturesque scenery and set pieces to grab one's attention at every turn. Like many reviewers has said before, the acting by the main characters and the supporting cast was superb. And there was nothing else to distract viewers from the characters and their story. Colin Firth gave an indelible performance that made his typecasting later in his career seem much more lamentable. Nothing was wasted, and the entire thing was a consistent, coherent, and unexpectedly convincing piece of story-telling. Since I watched this film during a Colin Firth binge, I can't help but notice the evident changes in the style of his films throughout the years, which I think more or less mirror the stylistic evolution of filmography as a whole in the past three decades. I'm not saying these changes are bad, but I do regret that films like this are less likely to be made or enjoy box office success nowadays.

I couldn't speak for quite a while after the movie was over. I had been taken for an emotional ride and I was totally unprepared for it. Colin Firth is extraordinary in his tragicomic creation. Firth manages to find a "shape" for his character's insecurities. It is moving and funny, creepy and never before seen. Can you name a character like Adrian in another movie? Someone made the comparison with Roman Polanski in "The Tenant" and although I understand, I disagree. There is a flash of intellect in Firth's Adrian that made the character, for me, totally real. I know that guy and that thought alone is disturbing. Hart Bochner's Jack is perfect as the catalyst, the tempter because when he's looking at Adrian we can break through the darkness and realize that he's as human as Adrian. The Apartment Zero is populated by a multinational chorus who, individually, will give in to the stranger. Am I confusing you? Bits of Pasolini's Teorema as well as Harold Prince's Something For Everyone and at the same time light years away from both of them. A true original.

Once again, I was gripped watching a 28 yr old Colin Firth act with such nuance and depth. I recognised Hart Bochner, but I didn't know where from. He played the utter office jerk in Die Hard but, here, clean shaven, I must admit the actor was drop dead gorgeous even if his character was far from it.

To top it off, the film has a wonderful twist ending. Had I not been looking into Firth's back catalogue; I would never have discovered this gripping film. Acting kudos all around.