‘The New Tenants’ moves into the spotlight
Live-action short
“The New Tenants”
Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
A verbose black comedy with a high body count, “The New Tenants” tells the story of two roommates who move into a new apartment only to find that the previous occupants haven’t exactly moved out.
Director Back accepted the Oscar along with producer Magnusson. The film’s screenplay was adapted by David Rakoff from a script by Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen.
Containing references to the plays of Samuel Beckett and other existential and absurdist dramas, the film unfolds as a series of nervous, nicotine-fueled conversations that take place almost entirely in the dingy, monochromatic apartment. The cast includes Vincent D’Onofrio and Liane Balaban as visitors who wreak havoc on the lives of the two newcomers, played by Jamie Harrold and Rakoff.
The film’s sickly, bluish-green palette was created by Oscar-nominated Polish cinematographer Pawel Edelman.
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