L'appartement (1996)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Gilles Mimouni

Writer:

Gilles Mimouni (writer)

Release Date:

27 July 1996 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

Max is on his way to Tokyo. He lives in Paris and likes to flirt but has decided to get married. By chance...

Plot Keywords:

Buddy | Apartment | Airport | Nonlinear Timeline | Actress

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Romane Bohringer	...	Alice
Vincent Cassel	...	Max
Jean-Philippe Écoffey	...	Lucien
Monica Bellucci	...	Lisa
Sandrine Kiberlain	...	Muriel
Olivier Granier	...	Daniel
Paul Pavel	...	Jeweller
Nelly Alard	...	Madeleine
Bruno Leonelli	...	Alain Beccaria
Tateo Isaizaki	...	Japanese Businessman
Tsuyu Shimizu	...	Japanese Interpreter
Ricardo Mateo	...	Cafe Waiter
Vincent Nemeth	...	Barman
Bruno Fernández Vella	...	Video Technician
Juan Carlos Martín Alonso	...	Video Technician

Also Known As:

Flash-back (El apartamento) (Spain)
L'appartamento (Italy)
The Apartment

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

France | Spain | Italy

Language:

French | English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R (DVD) | Finland:K-15 (2006) | South Korea:18 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Estudios Los Angeles, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Movie Connections:

References L'amour en fuite (1979)

Soundtrack:

Le temps

... has a terrific room for editing (DVD)

This sad romance is untellable because the director decides to break its narration and to offer the points of view of each characters. So, there are a lot of flashbacks, of re-shooting of the same scene. But, it would be an extraordinary moment of cinema to put all the fragments in order to see the result!

And it would worth it, because it's for me, just one the best French movie ever made!

It has everything:

Cast: first steps of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel! Such a presence and such voices, even for a hard-of-hearing! It's symbolic for them to have fallen in love with this movie!

Directing: his camera is bright, alive, plays with the sets or can be mysterious with long close-up "à la David Lynch".

Cinematography: the light is beautiful, between gold and rust, like their love!

A never-seen before Paris: It's a Paris out-of-time of more accurately, a composite of a lot of districts! Huge search here! It's look like Gotham City, modern and old at the same time!

Music: Not the big orchestra but in perfect tune with the frames. And the song of Charles Aznavour made me discover this great singer!

Ah, … the story! As I said, it's a love story but rather tragic: Saying that love can be for nothing, that it doesn't make all people happy or isn't guaranteed for a sweet ending is great because this message isn't often told! Love is passion, which is derivative from the Latin "pain". You can suffer a lot when you are in love! Because of the Why .. ?, of the endless waiting, the lack of courage, the indecision.

And when you can ease yourself, fate, destiny, god (?), devil (?) can stab you in the back , just because you arrive too soon or too late, and above all, because love means 2 in a world of billions! A lot of things can happen and as much stories can be written! So, what's love?

Personally, I lived some moments like this: in a car with the dear one. Her mobile rings and you know it's her "special friend" whom she kisses goodbye (and not you, even if we are always together). So, you want to go out of this car to leave them together, to not hear the sweet but cruel words but you can't, because an amazing hard rain just started!

I found that this movie depicts those moments of tragedy as no one else!