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Next Door

Name: Next Door
Director: Daniel Brühl
Released: 2021
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Good

2021

Director

Daniel Brühl

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Next Door serves as a sophisticated social commentary that challenges traditional hierarchies of success. It examines how modern societal shifts impact individual ability to act and historical memory. The film's strength lies in its ability to disrupt conventional expectations of a hero by centering the friction between systemic winners and losers. It uses the backdrop of a changing Berlin to examine the human cost of progress. While the film excels at cultural and systemic critique, it remains centered on a male-driven conflict and primarily explores identity through class and nationality.

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Category Breakdown

Does Next Door have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story focuses on class tensions and the friction between different eras of Berlin. There are no explicit mentions of LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships.

How does Next Door portray gender?

Fair

The plot is driven by the conflict between the male characters, Daniel and Bruno. The film uses traditional gender roles to critique the stability of affluent families.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Next Door?

Good

The film explores the German-Spanish identity of the lead character, challenging a monolithic view of German identity. This adds a rich subtext about cultural shifts in a gentrifying urban landscape.

How does Next Door represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story critiques Western capitalist expansion and the displacement caused by gentrification. It prioritizes the perspective of underrepresented individuals over the established elite.

Does Next Door include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced critique of gentrification and the systemic displacement of individuals in Berlin.
Disrupts monolithic notions of German identity through the protagonist's mixed European heritage.
Challenges traditional social hierarchies by centering the perspective of the underrepresented over the elite.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Narrative momentum relies heavily on male-driven conflict, limiting exploration of gender-based issues.
No visible representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Berlin, the Prenzlauer Berg district. Daniel is a movie star accustomed to success. His loft apartment is stylish and so is his wife, and the nanny has the children under control. Everything is tip-top, bilingual and ready for him to jet off to an audition in London where a role in an American superhero film awaits the celebrated German-Spanish actor. Popping into the local bar on the corner, he finds Bruno sitting there. As transpires by the minute, Bruno has been waiting for this moment for a long time. And so this eternally overlooked man – one of reunification's losers and a victim of the gentrification of what was once East Berlin – takes his revenge. With Daniel as his target...

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