Vicini davvero

'Love, Divided' tells the tale of Valentina, a young classical pianist gearing up for a high-profile audition. As she settles into her new apartment in the heart of Madrid, she quickly encounters her neighbor, David--a reclusive, grumpy, and socially awkward inventor who detests loud noises. David occupies the apartment immediately next to hers and hasn't left the building in over three years. Complicating matters further is the paper-thin wall separating their apartments; although they can't see each other, they can speak as if in the same room.

For obvious reasons, conflict and comedic situations ensue as our two leads initially can't stand each other due to their starkly different lifestyles. What's curious is that each neighbor is currently struggling with their own outside personal issues that eventually enter their living situation. Soon enough, Valentina and David begin to fall for each other, simply by candidly conversing through the wall and finding they have much in common--all without ever knowing what the other looks like.

If you're reading this thinking, 'This sounds like a completely stupid premise for a film,' I agree--yet somehow, it works. Although it follows the common rom-com trope of two people who initially can't stand each other, it avoids the typical plot contrivances and unrelatable characters that plague many modern films of the genre, which seem to be written exclusively to socially engineer unattainable expectations for real-life relationships. The two leads of this film are relatable and have undeniable chemistry together, with Valentina, played by Pop-Singer Aitana in her acting debut, being exceptionally charming and endearing.

Euro-films generally have more artistic photography than Hollywood films, and this film is no exception, as director Patricia Font makes good use of moving camera shots to convey the idea of a relationship that exists with a wall separating the characters.

My main criticism is that the characters' early decision to avoid meeting face-to-face feels slightly underdeveloped, even when addressed through dialogue. At times, I found myself thinking, 'It's just a movie; I'll go with it.' Additionally, I felt some of the characters' decisions made in the final moments of the film strained credulity, however, I can give it a pass because I understand the symbolism Font was going for.

Overall, this slightly saccharine rom-com is more light-hearted than outright comedic, yet it manages to be relatable and surprisingly entertaining. As someone who usually works from home and is a former musician, I found both characters relatable and well-performed by the actors. I usually don't like rom-coms; however, the plot of this particular film had such a sweet, simplistic innocence to it that I enjoyed it quite a bit. 7/10

(I watched this in the original Spanish-Audio and can't speak to the quality of the English-dub.)

I stumbled upon the original French Version some years ago and despite its silly premise I found the chemistry and film a delightful watch. Cut to 2024 seeing a new version on Netflix I was interested...

This film remake is missing the magic of the first one which is odd because it's mostly the same. It's just is very lacking.

This version offered nothing new which what's the point of making the exact same movie again with in my opinion actors who just didn't have the same chemistry.

Really if this film looks interesting to you just find the French version it's so much better. I would have people to see this version first and miss out.

Love divided. In spain, it's pared con pared, which roughly means wall to wall! Two neighbors in apartments with very thin walls drive each other crazy. She plays piano, and he is working on some loud, mechanical thing which makes a racket. They get on each other's nerves, and they still haven't even met face to face! Some humor. Mostly sight gags and pratfalls. I'm thinking the translation wasn't the greatest. Grammatically, it's fine, but it's sometimes quite stilted and serious. Will they ever meet? Can two people, each with their own issues, get together and have a normal relationship ? Directed by patricia font. The version on netflix usa has sound issues... goes loud then real quiet during the first half. According to imdb, it's a remake of the french film blind date. En françe, it's un peu beaucoup aveuglément, which means "a little too blindly". I've looked for the french version, but it doesn't seem to be available. It's okay.

I've decided to watch this movie because i love romantic comedies and more importantly i'm learning Spanish. As i was trying to understand the language, the story didn't bother me. Actually this story had a great potential but seems like wasted. Bad acting and lack of chemistry is to blame, but not so terrible that makes you shut it in the middle. If you decide to wach it, don't take it so seriously and give it a go if you have nothing better to do, it's like a Hallmark movie more or less. But if you're after some fancy movie that you'd want to tell your friends about, you can just pass it. The story is actually funny.

She's a young pianist preparing for an audition. He is a game inventor who can only concentrate in complete silence. Separated by only a paper-thin wall in conjoined apartments, will they learn to live in harmony with one another? Will romance blossom through the wall?

At a time when humor was not common in western films, this one won me over. Even its soundtrack is delightfully funny, with a modern and contemporary aura... And the eternal magic of transforming criminals, murderers and thieves into national heroes, with a lot of sympathy and ''honesty''. The two handsome protagonists and the beautiful Kath Ross (enigmatic ending) have perfect chemistry, a lean script that doesn't let it get boring, everything is well produced, it has aged elegantly...