La Comunidad

It's never been more difficult to sell an apartment. But this one is a stunner: spacious, modern, tasteful. It's so desirable that Julia (Maura) - estate agent on the verge of a nervous breakdown - persuades her fella (Antuña) to come over for a night of romance. Too bad cockroaches spill down on the bed from the flat above, a singularly un-'des res', dark and mouldy, piled with stinking heaps of rubbish, a rotting corpse, and a hidden stash of 300 million pesetas - a pools bonanza Julia sniffs out in no time. This high pitched black comedy from cult Basque film-maker Alex de la Iglesia is built on the safe assumption that hitting the jackpot is the worst thing that will never happen to you. It's not unlike Shallow Grave, but where the British film restricted itself to three friends who become venal backstabbers, this goes for 'El Gordo', bringing in the whole apartment block, an entire community clammering for his or her just desserts. Poor, rich Julia isn't allowed outside the front door. While the film indulges the director's trademark grotesque humour, cartoon violence and social satire, it's mapped out cleverly enough to work both as farce and suspenser. A deliriously over the top cliffhanger finale (think North by Northwest in the middle of Madrid) is the icing on the cake.