Halima Elkhatabi’s Living Together is a fascinating social experiment, but not always a fascinating film. In this documentary feature, audience members get to be the proverbial flies on the wall as dozens of Montrealers seeking roommates interview each other. What ensues are conversations that are sometimes awkward, sometimes funny, and occasionally even flirty. It’s definitely a unique project, even if the interviews start to feel repetitive quite quickly.
Admittedly, Living Together explores some interesting aspects of human nature, including the definition of home. Our aspiring roommates all have their unique needs, from preferring a neurodivergent roommate to needing someone who will agree to go without a lease. As interesting as it is to watch a carpenter/aspiring standup comic discuss the nature of poetry, halfway through it’s obvious this project would have been better off as a documentary short than a documentary feature. There just isn’t enough material to invest an entire evening’s worth of entertainment.
Ultimately, Elkhatabi’s Living Together takes a big swing, showing us vulnerable people who either need somewhere to live or someone to live with (or both). And while the results are mixed, it is always wonderful to see a filmmaker take a risk with a high concept.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Documentary
- Directed by: Halima Elkhatabi
- Written by: Halima Elkhatabi
- Studio: ONF | NFB
