L'auberge espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)

NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE TO STREAM ON NETFLIX. And just like that, the best thing Cédric Klapisch ever created appeared on Netflix before our very eyes.  After the long- awaited third part of the trilogy, Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois) premiered in May of this year in the states, FrenchFlicks was itching to relive the adventurous and hopeful work that started it all… The Spanish Apartment (L'auberge espagnole).
 
You can't help but see yourself in protagonist Xavier (Romain Duris), a young foreign exchange student who travels to Spain and meets all seven of his soul mates in the form of roommates in a shared apartment. His personality hopeless and frustrated, he remains open and impressionable to his new environment, as he embraces the people he meets with open arms.
 
Each and every time The Spanish Apartment is turned on, the viewer takes away something different: the ups and downs of romance, the eclectic clash of culture, education that is cultivated on the streets of a foreign country as opposed to a classroom. Perhaps this time, we noticed that the end goal is no where near as fun as the struggle you go through to get there.
 
Notable players in this film are the always elegant and stunning Audrey Tautou as Xavier's long distance girlfriend Martine, juxtaposed with the somewhat frumpy and disheveled Englishwoman Wendy, played by Kelly Reilly.
 
Fall in love with the series chronologically, if you please, with this classic that every college student and alum is sure to enjoy.
 

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