Good Neighbors

I don’t know what’s up with the names of recent movies. Look at some of Hollywood movies this summer, “Bad Teacher,” “Horrible Bosses,” and then a few from 2010 like “The Perfect Host,” and “Good Neighbours.” These movies use adjectives to catch our attention that represent a central character or a movie’s theme. While “Good,” “Bad,” “Perfect” may describe a character, these adjectives-- instead of letting the viewer decide on the qualities of the character--leave very little to one’s imagination. It ends up giving an impression that there is something remarkably abnormal about the characters, even without seeing the movie. It’s like we are forced to form an opinion right away. What’s more, when I see the aforementioned names, I immediately know the movie’s setup; either the film consists of raunchy humor and out-of-place sequences, or it has grisly violence. Of course, after seeing the movie, viewers can themselves judge the characters, but I don’t know why studios feel compelled to spell it out to us. Its true Hollywood is running out of ideas for movies, but superfluous movie names are the last thing they need.

I say this out because the Canadian production, “Good Neighbours” is no different in this aspect. As the name suggests, the three primary characters in the film try their best to be good neighbors. But as the film progresses, we know this is not the case. The film starts with Victor (Jay Baruchal) moving to a new apartment complex in which Spencer (Scott Speedman) and Louise (Emily Hampshire) are neighbors too. Victor is an anxious, nerdy person, keen on befriending Victor and Spencer. Spencer is disabled and to impress him, Victor builds a ramp for Spencer’s wheelchair. Meanwhile, there is a story circulating in newspapers about a serial killer in the area. Louise and Spencer have formed a connection by talking about the serial killer on a daily basis. Right from the onset, there is something unsettling about these characters, and they find themselves pitted against each other.

People can be weird when they are living alone, and “Good Neighbours” hits a high in this aspect. Every character behaves abnormally different that superficially builds adds tension in the plot. Victor, for all his friendliness, is the strangest character in the lot. Victor’s friendly chatter is mistimed, and his demeanor vividly resembles that of a stalker. He is a geeky one who tries to impresses Louise. Contrary, Louise’s character is dark, and we see her strange love for cats, which occupy most of her time in the apartment. As a cat lover, Louise is obsessive about her cats can be best described as creepy. Outside her apartment, Louise doesn’t connect much with her coworkers. Spencer is limited in what he can do because of his disability, but we gather he has a secret. Mostly the movie is shot indoors in three apartments, and the characters are realistically depicted as the ones secluded to their domestic spaces. Of all the performances, Emily Hampshire’s performance is the best because of her disturbing playfulness, as it gets under one’s skin. Above all, she carries the complexity of her character surprising well. Speedman and Baruchal are acceptable in their roles as well, although I have to admit that Baruchal’s character is irritating at times.

Even if one likes the characters, “Good Neighbours” is a failure in terms of a concrete storyline. Basically, the plot revolves around the creepiness of its characters. In the first half, we are waiting for things to happen, and the screenplay lags in building reasonable suspense and tension. The characters act strange for no reason, and the sequences are frustratingly slow and boring. A decisive moment occurs at the start of the third act, but then it is too late. The film never managed to hold my attention, and for the film that is marketed as suspense, horror movie, “Good Neighbours” is hardly scary or suspenseful for that matter. There are plot holes, too, which are glaring at times, especially in the manner investigators carry their disjointed investigation.

“Good Neighbours” would have worked well if the screenplay had segments that gradually built tension. Unfortunately, the performances alone cannot save this mess.

Video:

“Good Neighbours” arrives on Blu-ray in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and encoded using an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. The film is mainly shot indoors, with challenging light conditions. There are plenty of dark moments in dimly lit apartments, and the 1080p overcome these challenges, although not without minor issues. The blacks in these scenes are solid, but the contrast is bit uneven at times. The décor in the apartments shine in HD, and the colors are fully saturated. The close-ups have good detail, and the skin tones are realistic as well. The picture stays sharp throughout, however, on a few occasions, I noticed softness to some scenes. Other than the minor issues, “Good Neighbours” looks certainly good in HD.

Audio

“Good Neighbours” lack punchiness of an action movie, but nonetheless, the lossless track presents the film rather well. It’s the movie where characters mostly talk, with little action happening. The dialogue, for the most part, stays audible and clear. The film has serene moments, and the ambience around the apartments is realistic. On a few occasions, the surround channels trigger to capture traffic noises, but they are never overly active.

Extras:

There are not many bonus features included for this release. First, we get a deleted scene, showing a gruesome accident that Spencer talks about. Following this, “HDNet: A Look at Good Neighbours” shows segments for the movie, gives a brief rundown on three primary characters, and a bunch of other promotional stuff. We also get a theatrical trailer in HD.

Parting Thoughts:

“Good Neighbours” is a fragmented piece that never connected with me. It looks good as a noir, but the climax is underwhelming. With emphasis on the characters and their behaviors, the film could have entertaining, if the script injected more tension to the plot rather than banking on the creepiness. As it stands, “Good Neighbhours” feels like a forty-minute TV episode.