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Amos Lassen wrote on 07/28/2009:

True Suspense

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride


When I first saw "Apartment Zero" some years ago I was literally blown away by the suspense of it. Now that it has finally been released on DVD, you can also have that opportunity. If you think you know what suspense is, you will be awakened to a whole new kind of it. "Apartment Zero" is set in modern day Buenos Aires and it about the relationship between two roommates who are emotionally crippled. Adrian LeDuc played by Colin Firth is a lonely sociopath who because of financial problems is forced to rent out the room I his home where his mother, who was insane, had lived. His boarder, Jack Carney (Hart Bochner), seems normal enough at first but we learn that all is not what it seems. Adrian suspects that he is a government assassin turned serial killer who has been conducting a raid of terror on the city. The other residents of the house fear that Adrian may be succumbing to the disease that incapacitated hisother.When the movie reaches its climax, we seen the twisted side of deceit, perversion and murder and the dark interior of the human mind.
Colin Firth as Adrian is nervously repressed and emotionally constipated while living in a world of old movies, Bochner's Jack is on the other hand charming and loose and has a bit of rascal in him. Both are sensational performances. Firth manages to transcend the emotional restrictions of being a non-participant in life and Hochner dazzles with his portrayal of a man with a split personality.
This is a thriller that was done right and you will undoubtedly see the influence of Polanski and Hitchcock. It is creepy and wild, weird and sinister and sometimes conservative and full of satire.
The wimpy film buff is extreme opposite to the charismatic and handsome roommate who manages to charm everyone he comes into contact with. When he charms Adrian, we all fall under his spell. I felt that at times the tension was so thick I could have cut it with a knife and the two men who maintained a love-hate relationship manage to draw the audience in and to keep their minds in check with the film. It is a cat and mouse game with the cat calling the shots and the mouse responding. The question that I was left with was basically how the two men really felt about each other. Was there physical connection or was there even a desire to have one? Is this the kind of thing that happens when the human mind is driven to despair? Is Buenos representative of something and/or something else? These are questions the movie leaves us to ponder and the uneasiness of what you see here also stays with you for long after the movie ends.

"Apartment Zero" is one of my 10 favorite films.

hardtool7 wrote on 12/19/2006:

An incredible movie I saw a couple of times when first released in local "art houses"!! A psychological homo/erotic thriller I look forward to enjoying again and again! Fabulous performances by Colin Firth and the easy to look at Hart Bochner. The film maybe too dark and emotionally gut wrenching for some.......but have you read the news lately? Don't miss it folks.....one of my all time favorites!!

freakydeek wrote on 12/18/2006:

First off I hate reviewers like Obi Wan who posted "The Most Disturbing Movie I Have Ever Seen". Obviously this viewer is an amatuer at veiwing twisted/dark borderline gay horror films. Or should I specify "emotionally horrific" for those who take words literally and confuse my use of the word "horror" thinking that I mean genre. Those of us who live for disturbing non-happy ending films get it when the film maker is trying to delve into the psyhce of off-beat characters who fumble through life. These people find refuge in other lost souls who are inevitably attracted to each other. They are searching to fill a hole in their wounded heart. Some characters' stories, whether fictional or non-fiction, sometimes dark & disturbing, need to be told!!! One should read the back cover of the film for the story before viewing and one would have guessed that this story wasn't going to fairy tale. Unfortunately this film was lost on some & not appreciated by ALL! I loooooved this film! I own the VHS and could only find it on VHS years ago and I hate VHS!!!! I had to own it so I bought it anyhow. I had seen this film on cable many moons ago when it was first released and I looked for it to own a few years ago only to find it had not been released on DVD yet. I feared it would never happen so I purchased it on VHS. Now I can buy it on DVD and have both versions for my collection. Thanks to whomever is responsible for making it possible for this new DVD!

Hipster wrote on 05/22/2002:

This is a multi-layered movie with exceptional performances by Hart Bochner and Colin Firth. It can be viewed as a simple mystery or, better still, as a psychological exploration of our loneliness and what we'll deceive ourself into believing just NOT to be alone.

Obi Wan wrote on 05/05/2001:

I give this movie 2.5 stars b/c I can't decide whether the movie was a masterpiece or an horrific piece of cinematic failure. I have seen many movies and I have never been so emotionally disturbed in my life. If that was the purpose of the movie, then I give it props, but it was excrutiating trying to sit through the whole thing without feeling uncomfortable and disturbed.