#NewsBytesRecommends: 'The Occupant' on Netflix—creepy thriller about disgruntled advertising executive
What's the story
The 2020 Spanish film The Occupant (original title: Hogar) is a thriller drama directed by David Pastor and Àlex Pastor.
It deals with the themes of voyeurism, creepy stalking, sinister motives, and danger hiding in plain sight.
The film is an intriguing and interesting watch that holds up surprisingly well despite its evident weakness and lack of character development.
It is streaming on Netflix.
Plot
What film is about
The film is centered around Javier Muñoz, an advertising agent, whose life is suddenly upended after he loses his high-paying job and all the benefits that are its byproduct—a luxurious home, social status, and most importantly, respect from his contemporaries.
Relegated to a lowly position, he half-heartedly sells his house, only to grow envious of the new tenants and creepily infiltrate their lives.
#1
Not whodunnit, but keeps you guessing
Non-whodunnit thrillers have a monumental challenge—to ensure boredom doesn't seep in despite the lack of twists.
After The Occupant is done setting its world, it focuses entirely on Javier's deplorable tactics to befriend the new tenants, try to become one of them, and rip their lives apart simply because he is fueled by rage and jealousy.
We don't root for—but are interested in—Javier's story.
#2
Cinematography, filming locations complement story well
We see the Muñoz family living in diametrically opposite homes—a direct marker of their financial status.
When they're rich, it's a high-rise building, but when their fortune takes a nosedive, they swallow their pride and shift to a smaller neighborhood.
These transformations are exemplified through the filming locations, and the dark and somber cinematography (for the most part) soaks in the film's theme.
#3
Not chamber film, but lends you that feeling
The Occupant is not a chamber film (shot in one or minimum locations), but I couldn't help but think of it as one.
Most scenes are filmed in Javier's old and new house; another consequential sequence plays out in a dimly lit basement.
These choices are deliberate; they swoop the characters in a cat-and-mouse chase, keep the tensions simmering, and accentuate the situation's gravity.
#4
What happens when rage takes precedence over sensibility
I wouldn't exactly call The Occupant a battle between the haves and the have-nots since Javier doesn't wrestle with poverty but has a fall from grace.
However, what The Occupant deftly explores is the way unchanneled rage, anger, and dissatisfaction with one's life can lead to a ripple effect with disastrous consequences.
Destiny wrongs everyone, but how we deal with it defines our character.
#5
Touches on sub-topics, wish they were explored better
The Occupant, apart from the stalking, scheming, and plotting facilitated by Javier, also focuses on the issues of child molestation, domestic abuse, and women's subservient roles in marriages.
Sadly, the film never goes full throttle on these topics and leaves them half-baked, but there is a whiff of the makers' intention: they wanted to give the film an all-around polishing with deeper nuances.