HOGAR/THE OCCUPANT

Spain, 2020, 103 minutes, Colour.
Javier Gutierrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusi, Ruth Diaz.
Directed by David Pastor, Alex Pastor.

The original Spanish title is more telling than the English version. The Spanish word, Hogar has overtones of hearth and home, being at home. With the English title, one can ask who is the occupant, the advertising man who continues to return to the apartment that his had to leave or his friend his family now occupies the apartment.

This is a film about a middle-aged man losing his job, relying on his reputation as an advertising agent in the past (the film opening with his bright and breezy commercial about family life in the 1990s). He now is told he is too qualified for jobs. This has some devastating effects, discussions with his wife, moving out of the apartment, trying to relate to his son who is involved in studies but is putting on too much weight, the proposal to sell the family car. He also tries for another advertising job but is humiliated by being offered a contract to work six months’ probation without pay.

The man goes into a church and then joins a help-group and their discussions, making contact with a friendly man, going out to coffee with him, but Spending a story about having an ex-wife and an alienated daughter.

The irony is that the new friend is occupying his old apartment. Initially, the situation is friendly, being invited to dinner, meeting his friend’s wife and daughter, but then asking his friends help after he crashes his car. There are also complications with blackmail by the local gardener – leading to more desperate action by the advertising man.

Perhaps the audience has been suspicious about the advertising man’s behaviour – but, from this point on, he is quite sociopathic, alienating his wife and son and leaving, deceiving the friend’s wife about her husband’s behaviour, insinuating himself into her life and that of her daughter. This eventually leads to violence (setup by the advertising man).

Some of the commentary on the film consists of surprise that there is no retribution for this sociopath after we have seen his destruction of his own family, his killing his friend, becoming part of the friend’s family and taking his job. While his wife does try to confront him with the truth, he exercises financial power over her, threatening her.

Perhaps this is the point of the film, telling the story of the sociopath and leaving the audience amazed at what he has done and how he gets away with it.

1. The Spanish title? Home and hearth and all that it means? The English title – referring to whom?

2. The Barcelona setting, the city, business offices, affluent apartments, churches and church groups, the streets? The musical score?

3. The opening sequence, the ideal and happy family? The fact that it was a commercial? From the 1990s? The contrast between the commercial and reality?

4. The story of Javier? His background in advertising? His interview for the job? Audience empathy? The young executives acknowledging his reputation? Saying he was too qualified to work with them?

5. Javier and his distressed response? His relationship with his wife? Concern about his son, studies, putting on weight? His son’s and attitudes? The discussion about selling the apartment? Selling his car? His age and the prospects for a future job? His going to an old friend – and the contract that he work on probation for six months without pay? His decision to go to classes? An older person in the class, response? (And later going back to the class and his being ousted?)

6. HIs driving around in the car, not selling it? Offers by phone? His sacking the apartment cleaner, keeping the keys? His continually returning to the apartment, looking out the window? His not telling his wife the truth? Urging his son to go out running with him and the son exhausted?

7. Wandering the city? Going to the church? Joining the group? Their welcoming him, his eventually speaking, the friendly offer of Tomas, going with him to have a coffee, his spinning him a story about his ex-wife, his daughter and alienating her?

8. Tomas, with the group, his background in drinking, violent with his wife, his peanut allergy, his position in the transport company, subservient to his father-in-law? A sympathetic character? And the friendship with Javier? The invitation to dinner, the encounter with the gardener, the flowers? Javier crashing the car, texting Tomas, his coming to help? Javier manipulating his phone – and later using against Tomas with his wife?

9. The gardener, observing Javier, the flowers, phoning him, the blackmail, sex offender and Javier getting the panties, hiding from Lara in the apartment, the second meeting? Javier inserting the petrol and the gardener burning?

10. The gradual manifestation of sociopathic behaviour? Targeting Tomas, creating difficulties with his wife? Ingratiating himself with the wife? With the daughter? Taking her to the gymnastic rehearsals and the photo, sending it to Tomas?

11. Tomas, his wife accusing him, his defence, her being manipulated, his leaving?

12. Javier, going to the class because his wife followed him, going home, packing and leaving?

13. Javier and his buying the sprays, giving one to Tomas’s wife, Javier’s wife confronting him with the truth about the sprays?

14. Tomas, upset with his wife, her getting the spray, Tomas’s collapse, her phoning Javier, his return, changing the spray, choking Tomas?

15. The consequences, his becoming a father figure to Monica, Lara relying on him? Marriage, place in the firm, confidence of his father-in-law?

16. Javier’s wife, confronting him, the truth? His hold over her, the money for his son’s studies, his ownership of the apartment? His wife backing down?

17. Audience surprise at no retribution for Javier, for a sociopath to create his own story, ruthlessly destroying others – and getting away with it?