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| L'APPARTEMENT (1996) | |
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It
is an ordinary day for Max (Vincent Cassel) at the office as his secretary
helps prepare him for a short business meeting and trip to Tokyo, Japan.
Max is also planning to get married to Muriel (Sandrine Kiberlain) and
everything seems to be perfect as he bumps into an old friend, Lucien
(Jean-Philippe Écoffey). Lucien has not seen Max for two years when
Max left for a job in New York where he also met Muriel. However,
both are in a rush and Max promises to call Lucien when he returns from
Japan in four days. During the short business meeting Max realizes
that he must make a phone call. When Max gets down stairs where the
payphone is he finds it occupied by a woman. The woman does not
leave the payphone, so Max take the opportunity to go to the bathroom
while he is waiting. As Max relieves himself he recognizes the voice
of the woman on the phone through the ventilation system. It is Lisa
(Monica Bellucci), a woman he knows from his past that seems to have had a
strong impact on Max. This is the beginning of an intricate love
story where a twist of fate seems to control the destiny of the
characters, however, the story is much more complicated than just mere
fate.
The fascination with love is based on the fact that love is something that people seem to strive for as they want to connect with others in order to create a bubble of happiness and pleasurable thoughts. However, Mimouni purposely forces the audience to ponder the affection of love as it can be confusing and distressing for those involved in a love affair. This is apparent in the first shot of the film where Mimouni displays Max at a jeweler where he is shown three different and beautiful rings for his upcoming wedding. These three rings display a symbolic meaning as he is put under tremendous pressure and must choose one of the three knowing that his choice must be perfect, since it must last a lifetime. The storytelling that Mimouni uses is often intentionally misguiding as love is disguised behind various feelings such as fear, insecurities, and other emotions projected by the brilliant cast. These feelings bring assumptions to the audience, which causes the viewers mind to run in the several direction as Mimouni intends through his direction. Moreover, Mimouni has chosen some very atmospheric locations and the cinematography is terrific as it enhances the tone of what Mimouni wants to express in his film. L'Appartement is a brilliant film as it throws the audience into conclusions that continue to bewilder the viewer as the story unfolds, which leaves the audience with a remarkable cinematic experience that will not be forgotten. |
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DIRECTED BY |
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France / Spain / Italy |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 2/24/2004 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
