Pål Sletaune’s “Next Door (Naboer)”

Next Door (Naboer) (2005)

Kafka meet’s Repulsion in this efficient meditation on misogny

Running at just over an hour in length, Pål Sletaune’s 2006 film “Next Door” tells the story of John (Kristoffer Joner) who is getting over the break up with his girlfriend Ingrid (Anna Bache-Wiig) when he is plunged into a Kafkaesque labyrinth that plays on perception and echoes Roman Polanski’s Repulsion from a new angle with hints of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Some reviews have levelled criticism at the film for misogyny, but that is central to what the film is about. Even finding an image for this post, I found the posters exploitative (hence my creating the kaleidoscope) but that might have been deliberate. Overall a strong and interesting film with a solid cast and and a story ripe for discussion.