The Spanish Apartment is the movie to be shown at re-entry seminars for all exchange students shortly after they get back home. And trust me, I know what I’m talking about! Former exchange student myself I went into this language bowl with another former exchange student, and we both agreed on the statement above.

To get language out of the review, the movie’s in French for the most part of it, second comes English, followed by Spanish. There’s also at attempt of Catalan and episodically Danish, but since I’m only fluent in English and Russian, I was stuck with subtitles for the most part of the flick. And I’m still alive, eh!

Basically, The Spanish Apartment is a year of seven students from seven countries living together in Barcelona, Spain. That’s the movie as it is for me. For the most mortals, it’s introduced as Xavier’s year away from native Paris in a foreign Barcelona. I’m not all that keen on Xavier – as opposed to a cute Isabelle from Belgium, let’s say – so I’d rather view it as a melting pot.

However, since it’s Xavier story, the plot is structured as following. A French guy in his (I’d say) early twenties goes on exchange program Erasmus to Barcelona to study Economics to come back to Paris and be a fancy someone in a fancy firm. He has to find a place to live, adjust to Spain in general and Catalonia in particularly, since Barcelona is a capital of Catalonia, state with its own language and lifestyle if you wish. He also has to overcome culture shock and get over miles between him and his girlfriend [who is no one but Audrey Tautou A.K.A. Amelie].

In the airport he meets a French couple, which is moving to Spain since one of the partners got a job in Barcelona. Xavier stays with Jean-Michel and Anne-Sophie while searching for the apartment, but even after he moves out he establishes close relationship with Anne-Sophie, who doesn’t speak Spanish and hence is not working and feeling very lonely.

Frankly, prelude is rather boring compared to what the real idea of the movie is. Though when Xavier [finally] moves to the Spanish apartment and meets in his class Isabelle, the idea gets going. English Wendy, Italian Alessandro, German Tobias, Danish Lars, French Xavier, Belgium Isabelle, and Spanish Soledad go through ups and downs of student live in Barcelona.

The movie would’ve been a real treat, had the movie not made the wrong turn. Anyway, for the major part it was as interesting as I expected. Unfortunately, I can’t say it was “fun” or “exciting” because often it just dragged along. Yet, it was interesting to compare lives of those exchange students with the exchange students I’ve met in my life while being one and after that.

One of the well-recognized features was stereotyping. You see, while being on exchange one goes through hell of them. Do ______ [insert one’s country’s citizens] do this and that; are they this and that? First you just trying to be helpful, then you are as polite as you can muster, then you just smirk and don’t even answer, in the end of the year you’re mad of all this questions. Year away from home not only teaches specifics of the country you’re in, but it also gives a very confident picture that there’s no such thing as “everyone” and “everything” when it comes to the whole nation. Of course, there’s way more to the subject, but I’ll let you get your own teeth in that.

There are a few memorable moments. “La fac” [pronounced exactly like the f-word] tops it all. You’ll get it when you see it; it’s worth it. Actually, my partner and I were bought by this episode retold by a couple of friends.

After all, The Spanish Apartment is not a masterpiece in the genre of romantic comedy. I was not all that impressed with the main character performed by Romain Duris, but I enjoyed greatly Isabelle performed by Cecile De France, who [woohoo!] has won Cesar Award [French version of “Oscar”] as the Most Promising Actress. The movie was also nominated for another five Cesar Awards, including Best Film, Best Directing, Best Writing [all three by Cedric Klapisch], Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actress [Judith Godreche – Bimboland, The Man In the Iron Mask].

Recommended to exchange students and Peace Corps Volunteers.


Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older