It is an interesting perspective to consider the apartment plot a category of its own. For one, by placing the focus on the relatively more confined yet familiar apartment space, it allows for the viewers to put their attention onto other narratives. The apartment space however also contributes to the plot by having an underlying narrative.
For instance, in the Birdcage(1996), the comedy plot unfolds in the residence of Armand in South Beach, who happens to be the owner of the drag club “The Birdcage” downstairs. The plot thickens as his son is getting engaged with the daughter of an ultra-conservative senator, where a meeting for both families would soon take place. The flamboyant and somewhat outrageous decor of Armand’s residence contrasts the manor owned by the senator, bringing out the social status and value clashes of the two families; the renovated apartment space is also an important plot device at later stages of the film.
A more nuanced approach of using the apartment space of unfolding the plots and shaping the narrative would be that of yet another film featuring Robin Williams, Mrs Doubtfire(1993). The mundane apartment of Daniel is contrasted to the grand family house at the street corner, the segregation between Daniel, Miranda and the kids is both physical and emotional, which drives them in efforts to connect the separated family. the house served as a medium for the projection of emotions of the stakeholders in the film, being the spot filled once with joyous memories.
Tom Tam
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