The Spanish Apartment

It makes no never mind that this film isn't very weighty. If you've ever lived for an extended period of time in Europe, everything in you will ache to return after watching it. All those things you experienced -- the techno-Euro-pop, the crowded and dusty streets, the sounds of the scooters. Jeez, didn't I complain about these very things when I lived in Italy? Well, the film addresses that also -- moving to another country, how you grow to love it, and when you return to your own, how you love to tell about the horrific adventures (which were so painful at the time) you had while adjusting. Truth! Plenty of standard cliches in the film (e.g., the German is neat, the Italian is messy), although the one ugly-American type isn't American, he's British, which is refreshing. Apart from the yearning to be young and free and living in Europe, the film doesn't provide much more. There are lessons on how to be a "real" man, an amusing boyfriend- arrives-while-girlfriend-is-sleeping-with-someone-else scene, and the realization that life is the same anywhere and everywhere. And yet, the super-hip style (especially the initial walk through the Ministry offices) is interesting in and of itself. The ending tries to make you believe that they've been discussing the state of the European Union all along, but I guess I'm dense since this wasn't obvious to me until then.

original title: L'Auberge Espagnole
year: 2002
length: 122 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283900/combined