User reviews

A group of well-dressed wealthy people consume and consume in this absurd and brilliant short by director Denis Villeneuve. Their gluttony knows no end and despite the fact that the sheer weight of their banquet is enough to break through the floor and land them on the next lowest floor they cannot stop consuming, consuming, consuming.

A brilliant parable on greed and also on our natural resources (this really feels like a poignant statement on climate change, even though we know it will literally kill us it seems like humans can't get it together to stop hurting the planet), this is an incredibly well made short that shows what a genius Villeneuve is and hints at the masterworks in his future.

I just saw this great short at the Stockholm Film Festival. Kudos to the director and team for creating a spectacular little film.

I was so impressed with the tone and ambiance. It had a very special quality. It reminded me of the works of Jeunet, Greenaway and such. But that's OK - it was a very personal short film.

The production was equally great. The sets, costumes, styling etc was remarkable.

And the food was brilliant.

The cinematography was superb.

The style of comedy was excellent.

Bravo to you all!

I look forward to your next work.

I actually found out about this short film through a review for The Platform, and how the concept was "stolen" from this short. I was intrigued to find it and check it out.

I honestly really enjoyed Next Floor, compared to The Platform, which honestly just upset and disturbed me rather than entertaining me and sending some important message.

I'm absolutely not bashing anyone who enjoyed The Platform, but I genuinely couldn't stomach it, and so having an alternative like Next Floor, which is a lot less disturbing and depressing, while being more comedic, was definitely for me.

Anyway, this film was really good and well produced, not to mention being a lot shorter than a full-length movie (although I feel like a full movie of this wouldn't be all that bad)

Any piece of art about topics which are dear to a majority of human beings is bound to arouse radical reactions from people.Eating of food especially gluttony is something which would be censured by most of us as it goes against the basic principles of humanity.Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's short film "Next Floor" depicts a binge eating session which reveals how gluttony brings out the animal character of human beings.It is a film which has the capacity to shock viewers to the extreme.What can disturb the viewers most is the manner in which the entire act of gluttony is filmed.It is often said that cooking of food is an art.However,this notion turns out be false as Denis Villeneuve shows that eating of food especially gourmet food is a more expensive art which can be afforded by only selected people in the world.In a world where a vast majority of people do not get a chance to properly eat their three meals on a daily basis,a film like "Next Floor" is a grim reminder of challenges which lay before leaders of the world to provide enough food to all the hungry people.

This was made by Denis Villeneuve. This fact alone leads me to believe that this is a well crafted cinematic experience.

But those drums man.

Make your conclusions about whatever the film is trying to say, though it seems impossible to imagine the filmmakers didn't have in mind some kind of depiction of the sin of "gluttony" in Hell. Watch instead for the great sound design, where floors creak, mouths crunch, smack, and gobble rich meals, and cutlery clanks and clacks like a knight's armor.

The film is creepy but also tongue in cheek, with a hilariously hyperbolic string-instrument riff that plays each time the eaters fall from one floor to the next (I've heard it before and so have you... at first I thought it was from a YouTube meme but I can't find the name).

Still, by short's end, this one will have revolted, shocked, and thoroughly freaked you out in a lingering, psychological sort of way. Some great VFX work in this one too. It's free on Vimeo, only 10 minutes long. Go watch it now!

Google it and you should be able to track this down on vimeo or youtube if you're interested in seeing what visionary director Denis Villeneuve made before the likes of 'Prisoners', 'Enemy', 'Sicario', 'Arrival and 'Blade Runner 2049'.

No expense has been spared as this short film clearly has one heck of a budget and it shows... the production design is incredible.

Next Floor (2008)

*** (out of 4)

Strange but effective short about some grotesque people sitting around a table eating some rather grotesque things while some servants look on. As soon as the people eat a certain amount they, with the table, go falling to the next floor where they're fed even more until they fall through the floor yet again. That's pretty much everything that happens for 11-minutes and you'd think that it might get boring after a while but it actually never does. Instead this is an extremely well-made and rather intelligent film that contains some superb cinematography. The images on the screen are rather ugly as I'm sure most vegetarians will pass out before the movie is over with. What makes the images so effective is the great cinematography but also the terrific editing, which puts you right in the middle of the table and you'll really feel as if you're there looking at and smelling all this food. Director Villeneuve has created a rather unique little gem that is well worth watching as it's both funny and disturbing.

Hi, I really loved this film, it is so interesting, the environment, everything is so different from the regular Hollywood crap.

My first impression when I saw on Public TV in Mexico was to change the channel but then I keep watching for a few minutes and then you just want to see how the movie will end.

I would advise to watch it, you really have to be open mind and of course this is not commercial trash.

I like to buy this movie or find a place where I can get it, I have already searched on the Internet and have not be lucky to find a place.

Please advice

Thanks

A Captivating and gorgeous short film about the consequences of excessive indulgence and insatiable greed.

I try to conjure whole sentences to describe 'Next floor,' but mostly it's single words that plant themselves firmly in my mind: Grotesque. Alarming. Disconcerting. Consumption. Destruction. Sustainability. Escalating. Disturbing. Disgusting. Collapse. Mirror.

Wardrobe and makeup are impeccable. The props are vivid and eye-catching, to the point of (intended) revulsion - a reaction we should certainly have as well toward the nauseating gluttony of the dinner guests, all portrayed very forcibly with a ravenous, ceaseless hunger by the cast. That the guests' appearance contrasts so sharply with the meal laid before them, and their own deportment, does not go unnoticed. Nay, that is quite the point here, is it not?

The very setting is worth discussing: a nondescript building of impossible height, dimly lit and grungy in all corners - except for where the diners sit, which is illuminated by a grand chandelier. Even as servers, musicians, and the maitre d' operate in the obscure, dirty background to provide the endless feast, the guests feed with wild abandon under a fixture that in its prominent luminosity further obfuscates the scene beyond the table.

And then, when the overindulgence becomes too much, the dinner guests put themselves at risk of harm as the very structure around them fails. And still they continue.

'Next floor' is so thinly veiled that I'm not sure it can meaningfully be called a metaphor. The warning and condemnation of unending consumption is so very plain that one immediately feels a sense of guilt for having any part of it, even though we didn't choose it and to an extent it can't be helped - an unhelpful caveat that also gets portrayed here, in numbing harshness. All of this is glaringly emphasized with deliberate absence of subtlety in the unblinking stare of the final shot. Yes, we know this is us. We know it, and feel it, all too keenly.

The anti-consumerism, anti-capitalist, environmentalist message of this short is delivered with all the naked, uncompromising potency of a lightning bolt, and the cast and crew is to be commended alongside director Denis Villeneuve for bringing this stark, jarring vision to life.

Even as we flinch from the sting administered by this feature in cognizance of our own disregardful participation or delinquent inaction, it forces us to ask: Will we bring the feast to an end before we reach the next floor?

"Next Floor" is a short film directed by Denis Villeneuve and released in 2008. It is a darkly comedic and surreal allegory that "Next Floor" is a thought-provoking short film that uses its surreal and allegorical narrative to shed light on issues of consumerism, excess, and societal decay. It challenges viewers to reflect on the consequences of unchecked desires and the need for more sustainable and conscientious lifestyles.

The film takes place in a lavish banquet hall where an extravagant feast is being held. The guests, dressed in formal attire, sit around a long table that is laden with an abundance of food. However, as the feast progresses, it becomes apparent that the guests have an insatiable appetite. They devour food with reckless abandon, indulging in gluttony and excess.

As the feast continues, the table begins to collapse under the weight of the guests and the food. The floor also starts to give way, symbolizing the precarious nature of their excessive lifestyle. Despite the impending danger, the guests continue to eat, seemingly oblivious to the consequences.

The significance of "Next Floor" lies in its allegorical portrayal of societal issues. The film serves as a critique of modern consumer culture and the relentless pursuit of materialistic pleasures. It highlights the destructive nature of excess and the insatiable appetite for more, drawing parallels to the unsustainable practices of our own society.

Through its surreal and exaggerated imagery, "Next Floor" also suggests the cyclical nature of human behavior. The guests' repetitive and mindless consumption mirrors the endless cycle of desire and fulfillment that characterizes consumerism. It raises questions about the emptiness and futility of pursuing endless materialistic gratification.

Furthermore, the film's setting, with its opulence and extravagance, can be seen as a metaphor for the upper class or the elite. It presents a scathing critique of their excesses and their disconnection from the consequences of their actions.

Overall, "Next Floor" is a thought-provoking short film that uses its surreal and allegorical narrative to shed light on issues of consumerism, excess, and societal decay. It challenges viewers to reflect on the consequences of unchecked desires and the need for more sustainable and conscientious lifestyles.

A very elegant and chic looking movie that symbolizes the greedy ultra rich having more than they need and hogging everything. Greed and gluttony mixed together are a huge symbolism in this movie too.

I was surprised to find that this was directed by Denis Vilenueve but it is super neato seeing indie feature films and indie short films from famous film directors from when before they were famous. I loved the gothic aesthetic to this and I hope Denis does a gothic type of movie once he is done with the dune series. I just wonder how much the budget was since it looked so expensive with how many floors they fell through.

It reminds Fellini, Pasolini, Franz Kafka and, especially Bunuel. It seems be a portrait of gluttony ; in essence bitter critic against consumerism. Well crafted, floor by floor, it is a real gem first for a sort of Baroc exuberance of excess, second for the precise photography of decadence, not the last for the precise message of end of an age and , finally, because you feel the flavour of death in the second half.Eleven people front to grotesque dishes . Eating. And eating. And eating. And the circle of servants , musicians and their eyes , steps , run, reaction in the last scene. Just a gem. So, so familiar...