You Belong to Me

Writer-director Sam Zalutsky's low-budget, low-energy thriller follows gay New York architect Jeffrey's (Daniel Sauli) obsessive pursuit of hunky Frenchman Rene (Julien Lucas). Jeffrey impulsively moves into Rene's apartment building to be near his Gallic dreamboat, but while Rene remains indifferent to the attention, Jeffrey himself winds up becoming the focus of landlady Gladys (Patti D'Arbanville). Her obsession turns out to be far more rabid than Jeffrey's, and the hapless architect winds up literally imprisoned in his new surroundings. Unfortunately, You Belong to Me never truly clicks, as Zalutsky's screenplay is too flabby, while his lackluster direction fails to lure the viewer into what is supposed to be a spider's web of psychological intrigue and madness (a few shadows and an ominous score don't quite create the intended mood). Even worse, his two leads are problematic—Sauli is a handsome but monotonous presence, while D'Arbanville (enjoying a relatively rare leading role) seems to be playing for camp instead of chills—making it difficult to care about their increasingly deranged machinations. Not recommended. (P. Hall)