The Spanish Apartment

"They came from Paris, Rome, London and Berlin to… the Spanish Apartment… where a year can change a lifetime."

2002 2h 2m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

76%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 1,266🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 43,454

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.

“They came from Paris, Rome, London and Berlin to… the Spanish Apartment… where a year can change a lifetime.”

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Cast

Romain Duris
Xavier
Judith Godrèche
Anne-Sophie
Audrey Tautou
Martine
Kelly Reilly
Wendy
Cécile de France
Isabelle
Cristina Brondo
Soledad
Federico D'Anna
Alessandro
Barnaby Metschurat
Tobias

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cédric Klapisch
Writers: Cédric Klapisch
Languages: Italian, French, Spanish, English, Catalan, Danish, German
Countries: France, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 74% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 7 languages: Italian, French, Spanish, English, Catalan, Danish, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Part of the "Spanish Apartment Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cédric Klapisch, shot by Dominique Colin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Francine Sandberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Romain Duris and Judith Godrèche and Audrey Tautou carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cédric Klapisch directs. Dominique Colin behind the camera. Francine Sandberg cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Spain. Dialogue in Italian, French, Spanish, English, Catalan, Danish, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 74% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 7 languages: Italian, French, Spanish, English, Catalan, Danish, German.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Spain.
5Part of the "Spanish Apartment Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Cédric Klapisch, shot by Dominique Colin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Francine Sandberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Romain Duris and Judith Godrèche and Audrey Tautou carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "They came from Paris, Rome, London and Berlin to… the Spanish Apartment… where a year can change a lifetime.".
10IMDB entry: tt0283900 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "paris, france", "barcelona, spain", "alcohol", "roommates".

The technical file

Cinematography: Dominique Colin
Editing: Francine Sandberg
Production design: François Emmanuelli
Costume design: Anne Schotte
Makeup / hair: Manuela Taco
Sound: Cyril Moisson
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Status: Released
Budget: $5,300,000
Box office: $3,897,799
Return: 74% of budget
Original language: FR
Certification (US): 6
IMDB: The Spanish Apartment (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 65/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 43,454 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

8 wins & 9 nominations total

Part of

Spanish Apartment Trilogy

Follow Xavier throughout the different stages of his life, from his student years in Barcelona to his start in the workforce, leading him from Paris to London via St Petersburg, before returning to Paris to be a father on his way to New York.