Movie Review: The Man in the Wall
The Man in the Wall opens on an extremely unsettling note. Evgeny Ruman’s psychological drama starts during a rainy Shabbat in Tel Aviv, when a woman named Shir (Tamar Alkin) wakes from a late nap to discover that her husband Rami (Gilad Kahana) is missing. He is supposed to be out walking their dog, but after a neighbor returns it from the hallway and she discovers his wallet, keys, and phone around their apartment, she immediately begins to worry something is wrong. His sudden disappearance sets an uncomfortable mystery in motion, which slowly unravels during Ruman’s well-paced movie.
Over the course of this night, which is tracked by an onscreen clock that periodically appears, Shir is visited by a number of people while she tries to figure out what happened to Rami. A mutual friend of the couple stops by, along with Rami’s father, Rami’s best friend, and the police. With each new guest, you gain a different perspective on the couple and on their relationship as you try to guess why Rami is gone. You learn that both of them have demons that they grapple with and unsavory aspects to their characters, so Ruman really keeps you wondering about who could be at fault for Rami vanishing.
By shooting the entire film inside a single apartment, Ruman gives the proceedings a constant sense of dread and claustrophobia. His handheld camera that stalks Shir is terrifying as well, especially during an early scene where you swear that you can hear the cameraperson’s heavy breathing. The more you find out about Shir though, the more you start to question her story, just like the police who come to her apartment do. They are a bit too in her face and incredulous of her story, although they effectively plant the seeds of doubt over whether she has something to do with Rami’s disappearance.
To say much more would ruin the experience of seeing the film for yourself, but suffice it say that there are some tense moments and trippy hallucinations that take place before The Man in the Wall reaches its climax. Unfortunately things don’t reach the explosive finale you might hope for, however they do pleasantly surprise because they don’t take the obvious turns you’re expecting. When you do discover what happened to Rami, it’s fascinating to see how Shir deals with the situation. The way Ruman plays with your expectations throughout the picture and explores the complex themes with solid storytelling techniques makes The Man in the Wall an excellent movie. Based on its strength, I’m curious to see what he does next.
✭✭✭✭
The Man in the Wall is currently available to stream on Netflix.
I thoght you were spot on with your review, though I came here trying to get a better understanding of the ending.Very good movie none the less.
Thanks for reading Jim! What part of the ending were you hoping to learn more about or to discuss in additional depth?
Well I wasn’t sure but I took the ending to possibly mean that he was hurt by her betrayal so he took the pills which in turn showed his love for her and she trying to save him showed her love, but then we never saw the ambulance come and I couldn’t tell if she was just sleeping or maybe dead on the couch.But I also felt like they were just waking up to a new day taking on life as usual .Just seemed a bit ambiguous .I don’t know…
I have the same questions.
Hi Chelsie. Thanks for reading! Please see my comment to Jim.
Well regardless of the question mark of an ending,this movie had me thinking about it afterwards.Such an odd cast of characters coming to her apt.Her deceased mom and the drug dealer.Very interesting film overall…Thanks for your response.
Sorry for the delayed response Jim. Just saw your reply. I agree that his taking the pills showed how hurt he was by her betrayal and her sticking around to save him showed her love for him. I don’t think she was dead though. She was just sleeping on the couch. I think there’s a strong possibility that she dreamed the entire thing while sleeping on the couch. But it mostly just seems like it’s the dawn of a new morning for this couple as they try to put the pieces back together and start a new chapter in their relationship OR they decide to part ways for good now that the dust has settled.
It doesn’t matter if it is a dream or not, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if her real life was that screwed up, real life could be just more dramatic than anything. My fav part is when she manipulated the lover do come up with takeaway, put her feet on him, fucked him, hid him, and all this is only for the ease of her own insecurity, husband lost? really?
I have the same exact question and felt the same exact way at the end I need to know!!!
Evan, thanks for your accurate review. Yours is the only one which I found that was satisfying. To me, this is a disturbing film but as you said; Ruman plays with your expectations throughout the picture and explores the complex themes. The one theme which stood out to me was the nature of the abusive relationship they share. I disagree with the interpretation of Shir’s staying after physical violence and “rescue” as love. I don’t see any love in this movie at all. More like the refusal to confront the ongoing denial and dysfunction for each of them. This was an unusual thriller because the technique Ruman uses to piece the characters together. The pace is varied, and the tension builds and recedes.The ambiguity the viewer experiences is just like life-very real.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughtful comment Chloe! I think you make a great point about her staying as a refusal to confront the denial and dysfunction they share.
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