I think David Farr gave more time to this thriller than to his much- anticipated and more popular le Carre adaptation, The Night Manager. For this one is a real winner between the two, despite of the variance in genre.
Kate (Poesy) and Justin (Moore) are a sweet preggers couple living in peace in the upper part of a duplex apartment. The newest renters of the lower part are another sweet but superstitious couple from Germany, Theresa (Birn) and Jon (Morrissey), also expecting a child. Soon after they move in. an emotionally devastating incident brings endless grief to the ones below and paranoia to their luckier neighbors above, especially to Kate. Because Kate thinks that Theresa and Jon might have some ulterior motive. And then the plot starts moving swiftly, exhibiting some great cinematography and writing as it moves.
Poesy is excellent in her enactment of an anxious mother of a newborn. Her petite appearance helps and so does the support from her spouse who is a rather normal husband torn between work and personal life. Theresa and Jon steal the limelight, and the writer aptly denotes and connects them with the color yellow that is effervescent of their apparent darker side.
The story involves human nature and the extent to which it can go when stricken with sorrow. Consequences and damages stop being concerns as the person quests to achieve what is not rationally right and what can only be achieved through crime. Farr has written the story well, and with the backing that he gets from the camera and score, he definitely places his attempt in the good baskets.
BOTTOM LINE: David Farr's The Ones Below is a finely made film with some good actors playing natural and slightly eccentric characters who are just trying to manage life... and death. A good afternoon watch at the cinema.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
