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L'Appartement (1996)

Director: Gilles Mimouni

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From Time Out Film Guide

A chance encounter in a Paris café puts young exec Max (Cassel) on the trail of the girl he loved and lost. He bids goodbye to his fiancée, pretends to go on a business trip, and sets off in search of the elusive Lisa (Bellucci). Flashbacks and reminiscences with his best pal (Ecoffey) reveal the story of a passionate near-thing, while the present is complicated by the enigmatic Alice (Bohringer, simmering). The double narrative melding past and present is managed with nonchalant grace, and a leavening sense of its own ridiculousness. Hitchcock echoes through this realm of obsession, voyeurism and desire. Moreover, writer/director Mimouni toys pleasurably with the tricks of celluloid illusion: masks, mirrors and colour-coding deliver a self-consciously heightened experience almost woozy with its own playfulness. A smart, sexy, and effortlessly cool first feature.

Author: TJ 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Gilles Mimouni

Producer: Georges Benayoun

Cast: Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Jean-Philippe Ecoffey, Romane Bohringer, Sandrine Kiberlain, Olivier Granier full cast

Duration: 116 mins

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