NEXT DOOR (2005)

John (Joner) has just been walked out on by his girlfriend and is now miserable and alone in his apartment. Then one day, his alluring new neighbours Anne (Mosli) and the younger Kim (Schacht), whom he wasn’t even aware of, pay him a visit. Due to thin walls, the girls know about recent events in his private life. The question is, what the hell do they want? And why does John repeatedly get lost inside their impossibly labyrinthine apartment? A twisted Polanski-like dark thriller ensues.

Not exactly the nicest film in the world (it’s a little misogynistic if you ask me), this bizarre, extremely dark Norwegian film is a must for fans of the darkest of psychological thrillers. Imagine if Roman Polanski, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg all got together and made a film in a foreign language, this might well be the result. In particular it reminded me of not only The Shining and Mulholland Drive, but Roman Polanski’s brilliant Repulsion (arguably the scariest film ever made) and his underrated The Tenant. There’s even a little Cronenberg to be found here and there.
Although Mosli and Schact seem a little too odd to begin with (though their performances are indeed effective), and Joner (who looks a little like a German fella I went to University with…) doesn’t exactly play the nicest guy in the world, one cannot help but be compelled by this increasingly strange and disturbing film and hope that the poor guy makes it out alive and sane (and indeed he might just be going batty). Joner has a somewhat ordinary look about him that also helps give him an everyman quality, albeit a loser-ish everyman. Schacht, meanwhile, is wonderfully slutty as Kim, who constantly teases John and has a bit of a morbidly kinky side to her.

In fact, I can’t say that at any point I knew where the film was headed, which is rare in many thrillers these days. One minute the girls claim to be sisters, the next minute they deny it, in fact, most of what Schacht says throughout the film tends to be dubious at best. The director does a terrific job of making sure the audience is not two steps ahead of the main character. The look of the film is fantastically weird, with the impossibly labyrinthine apartment Joner seems to get lost in, a standout. If you like films that mess with your mind, keep you on your toes, and promote post-film discussion, then this one’s for you. Best of all, it’s mercifully short.
The DVD comes with several extras, including a Behind the Scenes documentary, which though dry, offers some interesting bits of information concerning the director’s shooting methods (using music on-set etc.), and in fact he comes across as an affable enough guy, as does lead actor Joner. “Meet the People Next Door” is an interview with Mosli and Schacht, who actually look a lot more attractive than they do in the film with all that trashy makeup. As an interview, it’s not especially engrossing. “Next Door: Rooms of the Mind” is location stuff, which might interest some, especially considering the set is like an oddball maze that one could get lost in. Finally we have several Danger After Dark trailers including Next Door, Evilenko (with Malcolm McDowell), Feed (with Jack Thompson and Gabby Milgate), and the “Danger After Dark 3-Pack” which includes Suicide Club, the enjoyable (and short) 2LDK as well as cult favourite Moon Child.