The Frame

A “Spanish apartment” is a French phrase connoting something into which you put a bunch of varied elements and see what comes out. In the case of this film, it literally refers to an apartment in Barcelona housing seven to nine students from all over Europe. The main character is French, and he goes to Barcelona for a year on an exchange program, and ends up in this apartment with guys from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, and girls from England, Spain, and Belgium. The film is a delightful mishmash of cultural perspectives, linguistic pitfalls, and romantic interludes. It even manages to throw in a backpacking American at one point, as well as the “ugly tourist” stereotype in the form of the English girl’s boorish brother. Walking a fine line between perpetuating stereotypes and breaking them down, the film may not always succeed, but it is highly entertaining all the way through.
Above Average