Jericho Mansions

There seems to be several pieces missing in this puzzle. A phone call from a sister intensifies a landlady's inexplicable mistreatment of her slow agoraphobic building superintendent. The butt of jokes among the local cops, she once again accuses him of theft but nothing is ever found. But after thirty years, the super's confusing dreams of what appears to be a bad spaghetti western suddenly come into focus when he becomes the focal point of a brutal murder. Has he murdered someone while sleepwalking? The tenants bear witness to his wild swings of passivity and passion.

Wildly confusing at times, it all becomes crystal clear in the end when we discover why the landlady is sure the super has been stealing from her for years. When at last, he comes to understand who and what he is, will he actually know what it is he wants? When the ones who desert it, get what they deserve, will he get what he wants and deserves? For those who willing pay attention and stick this movie out, they will enjoy having all their questions answered.

I agree with the previous comment regarding this film as an attempt to merge European sensibilities .. and I might I say, as a genre piece this works very well. Much better than most of the studio crap being tossed about. I felt Mr. Caan's performance was intense and incendiary; tragic and tortured.

I was impressed by this film. If you enjoy fantastic, interesting cinematography and the lush pulp of a thriller picture, I highly recommend this one. That said, it does have its limitations. But it is an effectively powerful flick overall. I feel what has been referred to as "roller coaster" cinematography and moving the camera as these filmmakers have done, established a visual empowerment for the viewer that makes this seemingly direct-to-video indie a compelling watch.

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.

Without a doubt this is the best movie that I've seen in a very long time. The Story centers around the agoraphobic, amnesiac superintendent of an apartment building called, as you guessed, Jericho Mansions. When one of the residents is murdered, dark secrets come out and wounds from his past are reopened. What secrets do the walls of Jericho Mansions contain?

To avoid spoilers, that's the best I can give you for plot. Kept me guessing until the very end in true thriller fashion. For a change the twist ending was completely unexpected and very well done. All the actors, especially James Cann, gave great performances. I do wish some of the characters had more screen time, but that wasn't a huge problem. The CGI effects left a lot to be desired, but the idea behind them was pretty good.

Overall this is a great mystery that sucks you in right from the opening. I found it in a bargain bin for $5, and if you happen to be browsing through just such a bin I highly recommend picking this up. Amazing film that deserves a lot more recognition.

9/10