You Belong to Me

Young architect Jeffrey (Daniel Sauli) meets the man of his dreams, Rene (Julien Lucas). But when Rene proves elusive, Jeffrey impulsively moves into Rene’s New York City apartment building, where the tables are turned on him by his nosy landlady (Patti D’Arbanville). This small but stylish and intelligently produced psychodrama has been compared to Roman Polanski’s The Tenant and Rosemary’s Baby, but its real forbearers are campy-yet-hideous Grand Guignol classics such as Robert Aldrich’s Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte. D’Arbanville, in the performance of her career, stands out as a middle-age eccentric loon among a cast of unknowns, who offer more than capable support.

Shelf Talk: Of immediate appeal to viewers of gay-themed dramas, this quality DVD premiere hopefully will not be ignored by straight viewers who enjoy perverse suspense fare. It could take some time, but word-of-mouth will help this worthy, low-budget release with little star power to support it.