There is an intriguing genre rise at play in “The Occupant.” This begins as a story about a struggling family; by the end, it becomes a gripping thriller. The shift is so seamless and well executed it is a splendid sight to see.
It is an extremely fascinating way to turn a narrative into a movie. This is far from the bait-and-switch style that lures viewers with one premise only to take a sharp turn Darren Arnofsky’s “mother!” is a great example. It fed on the image of a psychological thriller and delivered a bloated cubic walrus of fantasy. That is misleading.
This film “The Occupant” is co penned and directed by David and Ālex Pastor the duo behind “Carriers” and Self/Less. Javier (Javier Gutiérrez) is currently unemployed, and previously was busy as a top-tier ad executive. He had to leave his job to search for a new one, but was left frustrated because he couldn’t find a position that paid as well. So now he is trying to adjust to living in a modest house instead of a luxurious urban apartment.
He comes across an old set of apartment keys by chance. Focusing on a life he has abandoned, he begins to clandestinely access his previous residence and slip into the life of Tomás (Mario Casas), a young executive that now occupies the apartment. Now Javier feels like his rightful place has been taken from him. However, Tomás has his own issues to deal with, such as ranging sobriety.
When Javier sees Tomás at a twelve-step meeting, he follows him and asks his rival to be his sponsor while deliberately concealing his relationship to the apartment. At this moment, the shift from drama to the thriller genre is beyond reconciliation.
But even at this point in the story, it is hard to imagine the dire limits to which ‘The Occupant’ reaches. There’s a level of insane obsession that Javier exhibits towards the world around him, which he has designed himself. Why should it be taken away from him by the world that embodies Tomás? The world indeed has dash promises surrounding it.
“The Occupant” is still a winning piece of art but falls short of perfection because there are plot lines that are either dropped or not well developed. Most importantly, the Pastor brothers managed to pull off one of the best scripts of all time. Budding film makers won’t know how to effortlessly blend genres and themes just like him.
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