Loft

Title: Loft
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Starring: Koen de Bouw, Filip Peeters, Bruno Vanden Brouke
Language: Flemish

A Belgian thriller isn't what we usually notice in the film industry, but out of curiosity, I decided to try something different, I was into a really bumpy ride of seduction, betrayal, jealousy, paranoia, and enigma. Five men share a loft, each has a key to it, and it's used as a sanctuary for any mistress they'd desire. A body of a woman is discovered in it by one of them, who is she? The maze begins. With brilliant story-line co written by "Erik Van Looy", who also directed, we can't help but being forced to watch, eagerly anticipating what might happen as the film progresses to darker twists.

I couldn't help preventing myself from being mesmerized by Looy's techniques, every movement is calculated to as a reflection of the characters desires and their ongoing suspicions. This is one of those films that work smartly on the tension factor, it captures the audience and leaves them engaged with what is going on, perfecting the elements of obscurity and suspense. There is no fooling around or over killing here. "Loft" moves on with such lucidity, that it makes any change of event or key twist seem natural, rather than being overly exaggerated like many thrillers, especially those of "Hollywood." The construction of the events is wicked. We are hit by many things without having a clue how on earth we missed them. All I can say about the acting is that it's great. I choose not to specify certain characters because of how they are all connected together, and if did talk more about them, I'm afraid I'd ruin the film. Even the neglected wives of this film are plausible.

The film is atmospheric, and with it hypnotic soundtrack, we are only drawn more. We can Notice that "Looy" was careful in choosing the camera angles and the way the footage moves. I enjoyed how the lightning was used to reflect the characters' moods and their mood swings. All the clichés that we usually encounter in these sorts of films are eliminated. We have a foreshadows that it won't be a happy or good ending, we even get hints of events to come, yet the intelligent construction removes the common "thriller" stereotype. What might be eerie about this film is that the events are also quiet reasonable to happen in real life. Some films tend to go beyond the ordinary to create such a tension, while "Loft" presents us how ugly and mischievous man can be.

I hesitated about giving a perfect, in the end I just felt near the last part of the film; they might have rushed a bit in order not to exceed the "two hours" length. This is not that big of a problem, it will not prevent us from enjoying the film, but I just felt that with a slight adjustment, the film would have marched better. Watching "Loft" brings to my mind other films such as "Seven", "Session 9", and "Oldboy". This is a must watch to those who enjoy such films. I've used adjectives such as "intelligent" and "smart" not to exaggerate or try to show off, but because I truly believe they are appropriate. "Looy" presented us with a powerful film. From the beginning of the film I honestly expected something good, I was not disappointed.

Trailer