Song of the Day: “The Christmas Sound” by The Swimmers

The Spanish Apartment

Director: Cédric Klapisch
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Romance
Year: 2002

Xavier (Romain Duris; The Beat my Heart Skipped) just wants a job, but the place where he knows he might get one is telling him that he is going to need to get some sort of background on Spanish economics, which is the reason why he leaves Martine (Audrey Tautou; Amelie, A Very Long Engagement) and his beloved France in order to not only understand the Spanish economic model better, but also to get a better grip on the Spanish Language.

Suitcase in hand and pretty much nothing else, Xavier soon finds himself in Spain with nowhere to live. A friendly couple allows him to crash on their couch until he finds a place to stay in and it is at this time that he ends up finding an apartment, shared by a German guy, and Italian guy, a Spanish girl, a guy from Denmark, an English girl and who are willing to take him on as well. Finding the chemistry between the room mates interesting, Xavier opts to stay with them, despite the cramped quarters and what he ends up getting during that one year in the exchange program is a lesson in life, love and friendship.

This film is largely cast with no big names, Audrey Tautou is the biggest name and her role is quite small. Outside of that the only person you might recognize is Wendy (Kelly Reilly; Pride and Prejudice). This might be a drawback to you if star power is what draws you to a film, but I think it is largely thanks to this anonymity of cast that this film works so well. These foreigner strangers excel as coming across as that and not actors, falling into their roles with ease.

If subtitles is also a problem for you, this is going to end up being a nightmare for you, because not only is the film mostly in foreign languages, it includes, English, Spanish, Italian, French and Dutch, often scattered in conversations with such casualness that they are not always translated. If you speak all of those languages, you are golden, if not, you are left scratching your head at times, but this is NOT, by any means a bad thing. If anything, this sense of not always knowing what is going on adds to the feel of the movie and to understanding the protagonist, who is literally caught in a world that is entirely new to him. That sense of not entirely being in control translates perfectly in…the lack of translation. If that makes sense.

Filled with humor and well developed drama and romance, this is a modern take on friendship/love films that is bound to remind you of similar times in your own life, trips taken and friends made that seem like the flicker of a candle over the timeline of your life but whose names and stories are unforgettable. This is the sort of film that blends they joys of travel, with the issues of being a youth abroad, no longer a child, not quite an adult, caught between the sense of responsibility and the desire to break free of your cage. A MUST watch if you do not mind subtitles.

Rating:
Comment: Not much violence, save for a scuffle, language is not exactly the cleanest, but in seven different languages, who can really tell! Also, as a film with a cast of twenty-somethings is wont to do, there is a bit of sexuality so, keep the young eyes away from this one, not much nudity though.
Quote: (a phone call for Xavier)
Wendy: Xavier’s gone to school. Okay?
Xavier’s Mother: Ah, oui! Il est à la fac.
Wendy: What?
Xavier’s Mother: La fac!
Wendy: LA “F*CK”?
Xavier’s Mother: Yes. After fac he can telephone maman.