Jericho Mansions

This film is so bad it's definitely good. A decent cast led by James Caan & Genevieve Bujold, a tortured script and one of the best buildings ("Jericho Mansions") in cinema since "the Bates Mansion" of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic black comedy "Psycho." I would not be the least surprised if this perfect bomb eventually became a cult classic. Maybe if it could get an extended Halloween run at an Art House cinema in Cambridge (MA)? The dialog is pure camp and the cinematography is so confusing and disjointed that a viewer could begin wondering if their sanity could really be counted upon if reality were to be ever so slightly tweaked. In spite of all this it miraculously, somehow, works! From one bad scene to the next one finds oneself, almost hypnotically, waiting to see what will happen next.

To avoid including any spoilers I will not comment on the plot. Basically, it probably can be categorized as belonging to the "Mystery" genre but this does not do it full justice as it has aspects of comedy, both black, screwball and otherwise, as well as farce and satire.

I would not hesitate to recommend this one to anyone looking for an escape from the mind numbing mainstream cinema that is afflicting the public in these times.

Alberto Sciamma's "Jericho Mansions" is a strange film that hides a secret we are not going to be told until the end. This is a story of a building super, who is evidently slow, or mentally challenged. The film is mildly engrossing and it shows a director whose sensibilities seem to be rooted in European film making.

At the center of the story we have Leonard Grey, who we realize early on has a mental problem. The landlady, Lily Melnick is a horrible woman who seems to get pleasure in berating her employee. We wonder, why not fire him? Well, that's not possible because we discover toward the end the nightmare Leonard has gone through in his life and how the truth has eluded him all the years he was under Mrs. Melnick's employment.

James Caan makes a rare appearance in this indie production. He is good as the super that seems to be perplexed by all what's going on around him. Genevive Bujold, rarely seen these days, also makes an interesting landlady from hell. The supporting cast does good work under Mr. Sciamma's direction, notably Jennifer Tilly and Maribel Verdu.

"Jericho Mansions", while not breaking new ground, is different in the way the story is presented and developed.

The most accurate description of this film is to say it is a cross between Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" and Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen." Though not quite as successful as either of those two films, it is nonetheless worth checking out. Despite a few holes in the story and some derivative film-making, there is much of interest here. The art direction is fine, James Caan's performance is quite good, Genevieve Bujold and Jennifer Tilley are lots of fun, and the director is quite astute at making the apartment building a character in itself. Overall the film has a surreal, haunting quality that resonates long after viewing.

"Jericho Mansions" is a seriously eccentric indie thriller with a surprising amount going for it. Acting heavyweights James Caan and Geneviève Bujold are both featured in inspired late career turns. Caan gives a nuanced, intricate performance as the mistreated handyman for an apartment building. Bujold reaches for the rafters as a wrathful landlord that despises Caan and wants to see him put away. They're really fun to watch together, with the always welcome bonus of Jennifer Tilly to add to the camp and surreality.

In addition to the strong performances, this arty film sports an elaborate visual style that punches way beyond its meager budget. There's even unusually effective use of CGI to explore the building's cavernous interiors. There's probably a little too much going on in this very ambitious movie: it can be tough to keep track of the apartment dwellers and their significance to the story. Still, things wrap up with a bang (!) and I was thoroughly satisfied.

I did appreciate this one! It wasn't a surprise because I had read some previous comments here on IMDb, and the movie is just like some of them said: a piece of art cinema with a great cinematography! The "roller coaster" camera effect is really great and gives it an original and artistic touch, which I really appreciated! The plot, by itself, isn't particularly fantastic or original, in spite of have some suspense/mystery and create tension to the viewer. So, what's really great in this movie is its cinematography (especially the camera work). The characters are also great, very well constructed in the plot. In my point of view I just felt pity by the ending. I mean, I would prefer a more inconclusive ending, rather than this one, straight and "well explained"… In fact I think the movie would be better, and would have an increased artistic value, if the plot (and especially the ending) wasn't so straight to follow, like a banal/common murder story! I agree with a previous comment when the author says this movie crosses the European cinema sensibility with the American storytelling… I guess it's just like that, and in my point of view I think the film lost something with the American storytelling part…

All actors' performances were also good, but I will emphasize the main role played by the gentleman James Caan. I think it's well worked out and is a great part of the film!

It's a good art-cinema film which I will score 9/10, especially because of that!