The 2020 Spanish-language thriller drama The Occupant (also known as Hogar), now streaming on Netflix, has audiences completely enthralled, with viewers saying they were kept guessing until the very last moment.
Written and directed by brothers David Pastor and Àlex Pastor, the film was released on Netflix on 25 March 2020, just as the world entered lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The story centres on Javier Muñoz, a former executive who is forced to sell his apartment after losing his job. After selling the flat, Javier develops an unsettling, stalker-like fixation on the new occupants of his former home, gradually inserting himself into their lives in various ways.
Cast and Release
The thriller stars Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí, Ruth Díaz, David Ramírez, David Selvas, David Verdaguer, and Vicky Luengo. It was originally scheduled for a March 2020 world premiere at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival, but the event was postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown, resulting in a direct international release on Netflix.
Critics have praised the film's gradual shift in tone. One review noted: "There's an interesting genre creep at hand in 'The Occupant.' At its outset, it is a domestic drama; by the conclusion, it's a tense, dark thriller. The transition is very careful - and fascinating to watch." Another critic described it as "a very entertaining and twisted thriller," while a third highlighted "Javier Gutierrez's dedicated performance as the psychopathic, dejected advertiser who would go to any heights to get what he wants."
Audience Reactions
Audiences have drawn comparisons to the Oscar-winning film Parasite. One fan wrote: "A brilliant, underrated thriller. This film had an intriguing concept with a lot of possibilities, and it paid off! It was a tense, and gripping slow paced thriller. I really enjoyed this and it's super underrated! It reminded me a lot of Parasite (2019)!"
Another viewer added: "The Occupant (2020) was most definitely a slow-burn, but this worked so well and paid off greatly. There was an ominous atmosphere from the start, and the film keeps building the tension higher and higher. In addition, the film gets very disturbing too and takes so many unexpected twists and turns."
Other reviews described it as "a little gem of a Spanish film with a terrific main character and good plot," and one impressed fan remarked: "This one entertains. It has a good premise, an uncomfortable atmosphere and a central character who is scary precisely because he doesn't seem a monster, just someone who could exist."
The Occupant is streaming on Netflix now.
