Next Door - Fantasmes sanglants

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.

Sex, violence and psychosis - what more could you want for a down and dirty late night horror movie? Even if when you get them all together it may set off censorship bells . . .

John has split up with Ingrid, his girlfriend of two years and, as she calls to gather her stuff from his flat, we gather that the split was not entirely amicable. Soon after, John's vampish neighbours, the older, slightly dominating Anne, and the young, sexually impulsive and vulnerable Kim, persuade him into their flat. They know all about his break-up with Ingrid (they heard it through the wall) and are a bit creepy - for instance, they keep a wardrobe pushed against the door to the flat.

John is not exactly an easy-going laid-back guy. One of the girls tells him a sexually explicit story to arouse him after trapping him in the flat. When he finally starts to succumb, she initiates a violent sadomasochistic game, drawing him in with the promise of sex. After some brutal lovemaking he is shocked when he looks in the mirror and sees the amount of blood on his face. Strange coincidences start appearing and flashbacks suggest John is turned on by violence. Kim and Anne tell different versions of events and John soon feels trapped mentally as well as physically. Like all good horror movies, it ends up nastily and we breathe a sigh of relief as all is explained and we can catch the friendly night bus home, secure in the knowledge that nothing is going to jump out at us.

Next Door pushes limits by including the sex and violence together. The fairly liberal British Board of Film Censors, for instance, says it may, "intervene with portrayals of sexual violence which might, e.g. eroticise or endorse sexual assault." The fact that the sexually violence that we see is largely consensual may allow it to creep through uncut. In its home country of Norway, the film is the first to get an 18 rating in 17 years. You would be right in thinking it is not for the squeamish.

The film has a clever idea as the basis of all the goings on, but if you watch without the recommended several glasses of strong lager you may find you guess the ending all too easily. It is slightly stifled by a derivative feel - like a bad copy of David Lynch of Alfred Hitchcock - and could have benefited from some better pacing to allow the audience to catch its breathe between shocks. For all Next Door's ingeniousness, the camera-work hardly makes the most of the subject matter - although more careful framing and dramatic editing might have notched up the chances of the censors demanding cuts. On a more serious level, the film is quite a reasonable allegory on repression and erotic psychosis. One way or another, it may well earn your grudging attention - just don't try the techniques with your date.

and I quite liked the music, but I didn't know the composer. One to check out to be sure. Like the other reviewer I would compare it to Polanski, I kept thinking about 'The Tenant' watching this. The atmosphere are a bit of the same, claustrophobic and strange. We don't know whats going on in there, but it sure doesn't feel right. That said, the script isn't all original, but its still a very good take on it.

Actors are well chosen and did it very well. The two girls in particular create some really uncomfortable situations and are a great team. Kristoffer Joner is an excellent actor also and does a fine job here. The Swede deserves a mention as well.

Director Pål Sletaune is one to watch. He is soon changing status for me from talented to a very good director. The future of Norwegian film looks very bright.

It has some very minor flaws which you barely notice as the movie speeds away.

John, who has recently been left by his girlfriend, is lured into his next door neighbors' apartment. Inside he finds two women (who claim to be attractive, but this is debatable), a seduction and some of the most bizarre mind-bending you'll see in a film (Norwegian or otherwise).

For some reason this film is translated as "Next Door" when the word "naboer" means "neighbor", but I guess literal translations aren't the thing. I mean, the movie "Mark of the Devil" is originally in German and means something like "Witches Bleeding, Tortured To Death"... so, hey, I guess Americans can call movies whatever they want.

"An homage to Roman Polanski with nods to David Lynch," says Variety. I don't know enough about Polanski's work to really comment on that, but the Lynch connection is clear. There are many occasions in this film where it is unclear whether the main character is delusional or sane. Although, the difference is this: in a Lynch film, you are left to come up with your own theory, while here the situation is cleared up satisfactorily.

I really enjoyed this movie. It played out really slow, but in such a way that the "Reveal" was well-paced and we were only given enough hints to keep going along while getting hungrier for more (like a carrot on a stick). Any slower and it would have lost me, any faster and it would be a short film.

Personally, I found certain scenes to be highly erotic and incredibly sexy. This might be just me, since the scenes also contain excessive violence. Should violence be sexy? I don't know, but in this case I was rather taken by the presentation. Like "Jenifer" which I just watched, the film blends the disgusting with the beautiful -- with surprising results.

This will not appeal to everyone. The film is certainly "bizarre" and the movie is subtitled, which some will not enjoy. But if you like David Lynch or have a craving for something you're not likely to find in your average film, this is the film for you. (Note: the film is considered "horror" and has horror elements, but I'd sooner put it under "suspense".)

"Naboer" is a truly dark and unsettling psychosexual thriller in the vein of "The Tenant".John's girlfriend has left him and apparently already moved on to a new relationship.Julia Schacht and Cecilie A. Mosli star as neighbors Kim and Anne who live in a large flat next door to John.Invited in on the pretext of moving a large piece of furniture, John soon finds himself pulled into the strange,twisted world of hellish sexuality and violence that exists next door.The atmosphere of "Naboer" is remarkable and truly claustrophobic.Confusion and uncertainty permeate nearly every scene.The sex scene coupled with disgusting beating is strangely arousing.The film has also deeply voyeuristic feel and the scenes of sexual violence are pretty hard-hitting.The main performances are brilliant and the climax is quite surprising."Naboer" is surely not for the easily offended.9 out of 10.