''The Michelle Apartments'' is a 1995 Canadian black comedy film directed by

John Pozer John Pozer is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer and editor. He has had two independent features selected to the Cannes International Film Festival and directed a slate of episodic television, both live action and animation. Biogra ...

and written by Ross Weber. The film stars Henry Czerny as Alex Hartwell, a government auditor sent to the small town of Walton to review the books of a chemical company. When his hotel room is mistakenly given to another client, he is forced to take a room in the Michelle Apartments, where he is drawn into a romantic attraction to his neighbour Madeline (

Mary Beth Rubens Mary Elizabeth Rubens is a Canadian film, stage, and television actress, who made her feature film debut in Paul Lynch's slasher film '' Prom Night'' (1980). She subsequently appeared in ''Firebird 2015 AD'' (1981). She worked throughout the 1980 ...

), whose husband Dean (

Daniel Kash Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director. Life and career Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...

) is in prison. When Dean is released and comes home to find Madeline and Alex kissing, events spiral into a murderous chaos. The cast also includes

Peter Outerbridge Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the CW action series ''Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Hank" Johanssen in ''Orphan Black'', Bob Corbett ...

Nancy Beatty Nancy Beatty is a Canadian actress. Best known as a stage actress,"Veteran actress lands the mother of all mother roles in The Glass Menagerie". '' Calgary Herald'', November 30, 1999. she has also appeared in film and television roles. On stage, ...

and

Maria Vacratsis Maria Vacratsis (born July 28, 1955) is a Canadian actress. She has been featured in several Canadian television series, including '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', ''Little Mosque on the Prairie'', ''Tactical Girls'', and '' Rent-a-Goalie''. In ...

. The film premiered at the

1995 Toronto International Film Festival The 20th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 7 and September 16, 1995. ''The Confessional'' by Robert Lepage was selected as the opening film and ''Devil In A Blue Dress'' by Carl Fran ...

Critical response

For ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', Rick Groen called the film a northern gothic spin on '' Something Wild'', and wrote that "the menace pulls up considerably short of skin-crawling suspense, while the sex lacks any real steam (unless you count a mild flirtation in the laundry room). These gaps may well be deliberate - Pozer's idea of comic dissonance - but the yuks just aren't there." Jay Stone of the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' lambasted the film, writing that "This is independent cinema at its worst: self-indulgent, incompetent, charmless, empty. Needless to say, taxpayers helped fund it through the Ontario Film Development Corp. and Telefilm Canada. If this is the best we can do, maybe it's time to pull the plug and let Disney take over altogether." Brendan Kelly of '' Variety'' said the film "covers ' Twin Peaks'-like turf but just doesn't have enough comic smarts". Peter Birnie of the '' Montreal Gazette'' reviewed the film more favourably, writing that "The Michelle Apartments is unnecessarily busy, especially in cafe scenes cute enough to bounce into a Bounty ad, but there's still strong impetus to Pozer's strange vision.

Lynne Stopkewich Lynne Stopkewich (born 1964) is a Canadian film director. She attracted attention for her feature film directorial debut '' Kissed'' (1996). Life and career In 1987, Stopkewich obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in film studies from Conc ...

designs a town of Orwellian disproportions, Peter Wunstorf photographs it all in shades of gaudy menace and Mark Korven's music makes this address arch enough to be fun."

Awards

The film received two

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominations at the

16th Genie Awards The 16th Genie Awards were held on January 14, 1996, to honour films released in 1995."Two films divide Genie spoils". ''The Globe and Mail'', January 15, 1996. The ceremony took place in Montreal at Société Radio-Canada's Studio 42. For the fi ...

, for

Best Sound Editing This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...

(Paul Shikata, Tim Roberts, Andy Malcolm,

Paul Germann Paul Germann is a Canadian sound effects editor, who was a winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Sound Editing at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for ''Scarborough'', and at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023 for ''Brother''.Je ...

, Steven Munro) and Best Original Score (Korven).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michelle Apartments, The 1995 films 1995 black comedy films 1995 comedy films 1990s Canadian films 1990s English-language films Alliance Films films Canadian black comedy films English-language Canadian films Films directed by John Pozer Films scored by Mark Korven