The Back of Her Head

Josh Safdie made this assured comedy in and around his apartment building when he was still a film student at Boston University. The dioramic setup plays like a vertical REAR WINDOW: a shy daydreamer (played by Safdie) lives above an older Hindi man who lives above a reckless Brit who lives above a girl stuck in a bad relationship. The boy two floors up can only see the back of the girl’s head but that’s enough for a crush to develop. Safdie makes the most out of the single location, deploying dynamic camera angles, wry slapstick and even a couple of crane shots for a whimsical picture of city living.