Jericho Mansions

This film is so bad it's definitely good. A decent cast led by James Caan & Genevieve Bujold, a tortured script and one of the best buildings ("Jericho Mansions") in cinema since "the Bates Mansion" of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic black comedy "Psycho." I would not be the least surprised if this perfect bomb eventually became a cult classic. Maybe if it could get an extended Halloween run at an Art House cinema in Cambridge (MA)? The dialog is pure camp and the cinematography is so confusing and disjointed that a viewer could begin wondering if their sanity could really be counted upon if reality were to be ever so slightly tweaked. In spite of all this it miraculously, somehow, works! From one bad scene to the next one finds oneself, almost hypnotically, waiting to see what will happen next.

To avoid including any spoilers I will not comment on the plot. Basically, it probably can be categorized as belonging to the "Mystery" genre but this does not do it full justice as it has aspects of comedy, both black, screwball and otherwise, as well as farce and satire.

I would not hesitate to recommend this one to anyone looking for an escape from the mind numbing mainstream cinema that is afflicting the public in these times.

Leonard Grey (James Caan) has been the super of the apartment building Jericho Mansions owned by Lily Melnick (Geneviève Bujold) for thirty year. Leonard is slow and agoraphobic, having also frequent amnesia, and dedicates his leisure time to build a complex bridge with clips. When the husband of the landlady Lily dies and she receives a call from her sister that lives in Europe, Lily rebukes Leonard and tries to force him to be fired or arrested by the police, forging evidences that he is a thief. However, most of the dwellers like Leonard and he stays working in the building. When Bill Cherry (Peter Keleghan), the husband of the masseuse Donna Cherry (Jennifer Tilly) and lover of the Spanish Dolores O'Donell (Maribel Verdú), is murdered in Jericho Mansions during the night, the police investigate the murder and there are many suspects, including Dolores's betrayed husband Eugene (Bruce Ramsay); Lily and Leonard. However, Jericho Mansions hides a dark and cruel secret.

"Jericho Mansions' is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen, and I liked it. The intriguing story develops the bizarre characters very well and has a totally unexpected plot point, when a gruesome and very dark secret is disclosed and the viewer discloses one of the most cruel and repulsive villains of the cinema history. The acting is superb, highlighting Geneviève Bujold and James Caan, and this movie is underrated in IMDb. If you are seeking an original story with a surprising twist, rent or buy this DVD and I bet you will like this movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Condomínio" ("The Condominium")

I did appreciate this one! It wasn't a surprise because I had read some previous comments here on IMDb, and the movie is just like some of them said: a piece of art cinema with a great cinematography! The "roller coaster" camera effect is really great and gives it an original and artistic touch, which I really appreciated! The plot, by itself, isn't particularly fantastic or original, in spite of have some suspense/mystery and create tension to the viewer. So, what's really great in this movie is its cinematography (especially the camera work). The characters are also great, very well constructed in the plot. In my point of view I just felt pity by the ending. I mean, I would prefer a more inconclusive ending, rather than this one, straight and "well explained"… In fact I think the movie would be better, and would have an increased artistic value, if the plot (and especially the ending) wasn't so straight to follow, like a banal/common murder story! I agree with a previous comment when the author says this movie crosses the European cinema sensibility with the American storytelling… I guess it's just like that, and in my point of view I think the film lost something with the American storytelling part…

All actors' performances were also good, but I will emphasize the main role played by the gentleman James Caan. I think it's well worked out and is a great part of the film!

It's a good art-cinema film which I will score 9/10, especially because of that!

The most accurate description of this film is to say it is a cross between Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" and Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen." Though not quite as successful as either of those two films, it is nonetheless worth checking out. Despite a few holes in the story and some derivative film-making, there is much of interest here. The art direction is fine, James Caan's performance is quite good, Genevieve Bujold and Jennifer Tilley are lots of fun, and the director is quite astute at making the apartment building a character in itself. Overall the film has a surreal, haunting quality that resonates long after viewing.

In the world of international cinema, with various countries cultures and actors beginning to have an increased presence on screens internationally, Jericho Mansions is an admirable attempt to merge European sensibility with American storytelling. While unlikely to win major awards, it does deserve some recognition for its professional production design, imaginative steady-cam work and world-class visual effects.