Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Apartment Zero is a little known, vastly underappreciated thriller from Argentina. Set in the late 80s after the end of the "Dirty War," the film revolves around the paranoia, insanity, and suspicion that was inseparably intertwined with that era.

The main character, Adrienne LeDuc, has a secret -- despite his British airs and accent, he is completely Argentinean. On top of that, he has secreted his mother away in an asylum because of her creeping insanity, which may or may not be hereditary. And those aren't the only thing in his closet.

His downstairs neighbors have their secrets. One is a transvestite, not quite the woman she portrays herself to be. One is having an affair. Two like to drink. One is a homosexual.

Adrian's new roommate, Jack, has a secret. Does he really do what he says he does? Is he really who he says he is?

This is a film about dark places, hidden facets, well-kept masks and unspoken understandings. No one is who or what they present themselves to be, and the only way civilized society can exist, it seems, is by keeping those masks firmly in place. What happens when the masks slip is the thriller filled with dark humor and absurdist situations that is Apartment Zero.

Of special note -- the director, Martin Donovan, was a tremendous fan of Hitchcock, and the photography and inspired camera angles of this movie are clearly inspired by Hitchcock's work. Alternatingly funny and frightening, they aid tremendously in the movie's building sense of claustrophobia and unreality.

Apartment Zero is a great movie on its own, but taken in the context of the political struggle and social upheaval surrounding the Dirty War, an underlying metaphor becomes readily apparent. For a little less than a decade (1976 to 1983 generally), Argentina's military government "disappeared," tortured and killed thousands of citizens alleged to oppose the regime. US mercenaries were widely believed to have helped the death squads, and the Argentine government claimed approval from Kissinger himself.

Exploring the metaphor further here would give away too many plot details, but a little historical research affords the the astute viewer with much more to think about, and also explains some of the characters' occasionally opaque reasoning of the characters. You don't have to be a history scholar to enjoy this movie, but a little bit of research can let you enjoy it on a whole different level.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older