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L'Appartement (1996)
Director: Gilles Mimouni
Movie review
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
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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