"The Neighbors Upstairs" is a film about how an unusual offer from neighbors can turn into a session of family therapy.

On January 7, a new film by the renowned Spanish theater director Cesc Gay, "The Neighbors Upstairs" (Sentimental), hits the big screens. This film, staged according to theatrical patterns, only at first glance pretends to be a comedy for those slightly over 18, but in reality speaks about simple and important things that people in long-term marriages are not used to discussing.

Upstairs or Downstairs?

According to the plot, Julio (Javier Cámara) and Ana (Griselda Siciliani), who have been married for over 15 years, invite their neighbors Salva (Alberto San Juan) and Laura (Belén Cuesta) for dinner. The piquancy of the situation is added by the fact that sounds of passion traditionally emanate from the invited guests' apartment, which wildly irritates Julio. But instead of sorting things out over wine and ham, the characters face the fact that the liberated neighbors upstairs make an extremely unusual offer that could radically change the lives of the mature couple.

Cesc Gay in the film "The Neighbors Upstairs" follows the precepts of Roman Polanski's "Carnage": one event brings together two couples ready to clash in a verbal confrontation, tearing off all veils of morality and principles. The dialogues offer the viewer a wealth of irony and sarcasm, a pinch of moralizing, and a large dose of psychoanalysis. Not for nothing is one of the heroines a psychologist by profession.

What is more important: to enjoy life or to be decent? To speak openly about problems or to keep accumulated grievances inside? To preserve ephemeral family happiness or to seek meaning in carnal pleasures? All these themes are raised to one degree or another during one seemingly endless dialogue.

Within the Bounds of Decency

"The Neighbors Upstairs" is a typical chamber film, the action of which never leaves a single apartment. This technique simultaneously limits the author's ability to tell a large-scale story and allows him to play in halftones, provided there are talented actors in the frame, creating tangible tension and adding realism to what is happening.

The acting quartet masterfully distributes roles among themselves: in the first couple, one hides behind sarcasm instead of revelations on painful topics, accounting for the lion's share of the film's humor, while the other prefers a tactic of hints; the other couple rather acts as a catalyst for the neighbors' post-mortems and as external observers.

Interestingly, the viewer can easily identify both with the contradictory main characters Julio and Ana, whose marriage is not all right (the problems are quite everyday and universal), and with Laura and Salva, who are open to everything new in sex and relationships, inadvertently exposing the neighbors' old wound and trying to analyze what is happening. And this undoubtedly benefits the film.

Should You Watch the Film "The Neighbors Upstairs"?

"The Neighbors Upstairs" is a peculiar conversational dramedy that is not quite cinema, but far from theater. It seems to be a comical story, but speaks about serious things. It is limited by four walls, but universal and understandable in any language of the world. Whether you want to spend your evening in the company of controversial and not the most pleasant characters is an open question, but you can glean a lot from Cesc Gay's film.

Trailer:

We express our gratitude to the company PROVZGLYAD for the provided materials and distribution of the film in Russia. Watch in cinemas starting January 7.