The Doors Between Us

In ‘The Doors Between Us,’ Maximillian Aguiar recreates the ‘Big Brother’ TV show in a more artistic manner, with random people that know nothing about each other, being trapped in a house that does not look familiar to any of them. The characters are diverse, and they seem to be from different backgrounds as they have no recollection of meeting each other before, and are overall caught in an awkward situation that seems to have no possible exit. The conflict is imminent, and when it happens, the atmosphere gets more and more unbearable. How will they cope in this wasteland? The answer is… blowing in the wind!

The premise of this whole feature is promising – we have seen this kind of action in ‘Lord of the Flies’ and in the previously mentioned TV show ‘Big Brother.’ The most important thing here is to know how to perceive others, and above all else, how to see yourself entirely through others. The psychology of the script is breathtaking, and we are glad to have had the chance to “interact” with it. In this situation, even the characters are entitled to be strange, and because of this strangeness to create powerful personas that are extremely gifted, the narrative of ‘The Doors Between Us’ makes more sense and finds a path that combines the stories of many “main” characters.

In terms of production, this feature film needs a lot more. Sadly, the audio spectrum is uneven, and most of the times it gives the impression of cheap filmmaking. Why would one invest so much in creating complex backgrounds for their characters but neglect the production? On the other hand, the black and white choice is practical because it seems that the movie aims to be a continuous experiment that is impossible to be taken seriously, and even after the first forty minutes, it is still hard to comprehend, taking in consideration that the whole film has a runtime of almost two hours.

The best comparison for this film is with a music genre, and that is free jazz. How does it work? Well, in free jazz, the musicians play mainly for other professional musicians or very few enthusiasts, as the music is not suitable for everybody. In the same way, ‘The Doors Between Us’ is a movie for the incredibly patient ones. The story is smooth, the characters are provocative, but you have to endure the ongoing experiment of ‘free jazz’. You will sometimes be hearing just parts of the conversation or trying to distinguish a face hidden in a deep shadow that was not intended to be there, but you will find a way to enjoy it in the end.