Next Door

The 2005 Norwegian thriller "Naboer" (aka "Neighbours", but somehow got the English title "Next Door") turned out to be a rather enjoyable movie.

I hadn't heard about "Naboer" prior to this late in 2019, when I happened to stumble upon it and took the time to sit down and watch it. I didn't know whom was starring in it, what it was about, or anything aside from knowing it was Norwegian and that it was a thriller.

When I saw that Kristoffer Joner starred in the movie, then I must admit that my expectations to the movie suddenly went from being none to actually having high hopes for the movie. Why? Well, because he is really a good actor and he is great at handling different types of characters.

I will say that I was entertained, thoroughly and properly entertained by what was presented by writer and director Pål Sletaune, not to mention some stellar acting performances put on by Kristoffer Joner, Julia Schacht and Cecilie A. Mosli.

The movie is a type of thriller that definitely will have the audience in an iron grip and have the audience trying to figure out what was going on. And the way that director Pål Sletaune built up the story and the atmosphere was just brilliant, and it worked so fabulously in favor of the movie.

If you find yourself given the chance to sit down and watch "Naboer", then you should definitely do so, because this is a very enjoyable thriller. I am rating it six out of ten stars.

Naboer tells the story of John, having recently been left by his girlfriend, he retreats into self imposed isolation in his somewhat claustrophobic apartment. As the story unfolds (some parts in flashback) John is approached by his alluring neighbor who seduces/drags him into an underworld of sadism and mysterious undercurrents of retribution for something John does not yet understand. Definitely unique in it's storytelling, Naboer treads on well told paths of scorned women terrorizing unsuspecting man, adding it's own twist which is sure to leave you replaying the movie in your mind.

Naboer is like a full bodied wine who's bouquet unfolds slowly in your mouth and just when you thought you had it figured, the aftertaste hits your senses and shocks you into the realization of what you have really been drinking. I have to admit that there were times, even when I had the movie figured it out, that I was concerned it would turn into a patronizing "gee see how we fooled ya!" moment. However, the director pulled it off. With a clever blend of atmosphere and suspense, the movie relies less on your powers of observation and strives more to tickle your senses and ultimately leave you with an uneasy, somewhat grotesque feeling as it winds to a close. Rather than slowly drag out the ending, he drops it right on your head and then allows the explanation to seep slowly from the screen making an all too simple answer seem unbelievably full bodied and satisfying.

The kicker to this film is the incredible 112 minute running time! Had this dragged out for another hour, no doubt this would have left a sour taste. Instead you are thoroughly engrossed in the pace and momentum and knowing that the film must race to reach it's conclusion only heightens the anticipation and elevates the sense of closure.

I would compare this film certainly to Polanski in it's sense of style and cinematography, but also to Christopher Nolan's Memento in the way that it delivers a one-two punch desert after a very satisfying meal.

The acting is superb with a stand out performance by Kristoffer Joner, making an unlikable protagonist compelling and empathetic. The rest of the cast is fantastic and quite realistic playing some very tense, scary and perverse characters.

See it, experience it, and then look forward to more of what this director has to offer.

Maddis 8/10

I saw this film yesterday, at the second Reykjavík International Film Festival, and I did not know what to expect. It is the third movie from the Norwegian director Pål Sletaune. In 1998 Variety pronounced him one of the ten most promising directors worldwide. I knew this was a psychological thriller with strong sexual undertone, and that is definitely what it is. Wow!!! I was amazed. This film is a shocker! At this one scene my wife said she almost had to vomit!!! After this scene she had to watch the film through her fingers. The performance of Kristoffer Joner (leading actor) is excellent. This is one of the best films I have seen this year. Not for softies.

A Norwegian thriller to challenge any American made thriller. This was a movie not to be missed. For any fans of truly disturbing psychological thrillers, "Naboer" is right up there on the "must see" list. To call this film a "psycho-sexual" thriller is to put the term mildly. The film concerns John, a man whose apparently cheating girlfriend leaves him to be with her new boyfriend. After grieving her loss for a very short while, he comes upon two girls who are his next door neighbors. When coming home from work one evening, one of the girls, Anne, requests a favor of him in her apartment. He reluctantly obliges and thus begins a truly extravagant mind-twister. John finds Anne and her roommate Kim to be a bit odd, and potentially mentally off-balance. As he decides to leave their apartment abruptly, it is too late as their entanglement has already begun. Anne finds John the next day and again requests a favor - to watch over her "sister" next door, as she is not to be left alone due to some previously dire incident. Upon entering their apartment, John is overwhelmed by the psychological torture that begins. He is trapped, abused, lost, and frightened, all before getting involved further into a sick, sexual game that would really give this film a guaranteed X-rating in a standard American market. Although "Naboer" really doesn't have the overt bloodshed (but still a fare share) that typical slasher fare films do, the horror of it all is presented mentally - and rightfully so, as the mind is much more powerful in suggestions that celluloid could ever be. As the story unravels, more and more questions pop up as to why everything is suddenly happening to John. What has his part been in possibly causing everything to happen? Is it his current situation, or perhaps his past? How do the neighbor girls know so much about his most intimate relationship details? How does it all tie in with his recent break-up, and why? The mental roller-coaster continues to pick up the pace until the very end, which is worth the wait. A different view of an already normally over-saturated horror/thriller market. "Naboer" works, and it works well. It would be hard-pressed to find a viewer who would leave the theater without a feeling of awe or shock. Excellent in every way.

What we have here is a simple, claustrophobic little movie that works thanks to its focus on nastiness on an intriguing surreal atmosphere that constantly intrudes on the sex-charged plot line. The film is a Scandinavian co-production, and this makes it all the more interesting as there aren't a great deal of successful horror movies hailing from this part of the world. The film is short running at just seventy two minutes, but this is definitely a good thing if you ask me as too many films bog themselves down with any number of needless subplots, whereas Next Door keeps it short and sweet, with just the central major subplot taking a central role. The plot focuses on John, a man who has just been left by his girlfriend, for slightly hazy reasons. Left alone in his apartment, he soon bumps into his neighbours - a couple of sexy women who seem all too interested in him. As things start to get more and more weird, it soon becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems...

I'd heard that Next Door was one of the nastiest films in years - and while I now think that was said by someone who hasn't spent a lot of time checking out the pleasures of cult exploitation cinema, it has to be said that Next Door isn't really for the feint of heart. The film features sex and violence, and some of the time it features together - which will no doubt please the BBFC no end when they get their filthy mits on the film. The production values are high quality, however, and while the film doesn't feature anything that would cut into a low budget - the crisp cinematography wins it an extra helping of credibility for sure. The acting is also rather good, and the central four actors fit into their respective roles nicely. Director Pål Sletaune obviously has a respect for this sort of film, and the fact that he is keen to implement as much tension and mystery as possible is definitely to the film's credit. Overall, I wouldn't go as far as to say that Next Door is to the standard of a lot of the classic exploitation films – but it's very good for a modern film, and horror fans won't want to miss it.