A National Film Board of Canada production

In a series of inquisitive encounters and captivating conversations, young people looking for a roommate explore the prospect of forging genuine connections. Placing her camera in 15 Montreal apartments advertising a “room for rent,” director Halima Elkhatabi paints a complex and engaging picture of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards to find their place in the world. From the start, the questions and the answers run the gamut, each person seeking to define their individuality while probing that of the other.

Everyone reveals themselves with candour and vulnerability, hoping for that rare discovery: someone to share their space with who also shares their values. The debut feature-length documentary by a filmmaker with a compassionate and generous eye, Living Together maps a mosaic of cultures and ideas, with explorations of community, individualism and the right to housing in constant interplay.

As a housing shortage worsens, several young people looking to share living quarters explore the prospect of forging genuine connections. In scenes filmed in 15 Montreal apartments, director Halima Elkhatabi paints a complex and engaging picture of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards to find their place in the world. Her stationary camera records interviews conducted by various tenants hoping for that rare discovery: the ideal roommate. From the start, the questions and the answers run the gamut, from showering time to awareness of white privilege, polyamory to neuro-inclusive communication, anxiety disorders to unshaven underarms. The topics of conversation reveal a legitimate concern: to gauge the other person’s open-mindedness, but also their limits. These candid and vulnerable discussions cover power relationships and systems of oppression, as each person seeks to define their individuality as well as their physical and mental boundary lines within a shared space.

Through a series of inquisitive encounters and captivating conversations, a mosaic of cultures and ideas emerges, with explorations of community, individualism and the right to housing in constant interplay. The debut feature-length documentary by a filmmaker with a compassionate and generous eye, Living Together shows us that finding a place to live is also about finding wellness and shared values.

Two-liner

In a series of captivating encounters, several young people try to find the ideal roommate, that rare gem with whom they can share their space—and their values. A complex and engaging picture of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards, Living Together maps a mosaic of cultures and ideas, with explorations of community, individualism and the right to housing in constant interplay.

One-liner

Young people looking for the ideal roommate open up about themselves in this engaging portrait of a generation accustomed to playing all their identity cards.

I wanted to make a film about the importance of home: a place of your own where you can live, find shelter, exist. So I searched for people who, in order to access that living space, had to share it with others. The idea of a universal right to housing, which was central to my original approach, came up against the notion of power relations in everyday life. That in turn got me thinking about personal boundaries and the pursuit of wellness, given that we have to live with other people—both in life and when looking for housing. As the subjects expressed their idiosyncrasies and concerns, I saw that these encounters were sparking reflection about the definition of self. About finding and taking your place in the social arena in relation to others and yourself. So this small shared dwelling became a symbol for the larger world of today, complete with all the questions around co-existence and the laughter that comes with it.

Halima Elkhatabi

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