Good Neighbors

Pet lovers, take notice. However bad the cats have it in Good Neighbors, the humans wind up getting it worse.

The question is whether viewers of this low-budget Canadian psychological thriller from director Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) will care more about the helpless felines or their manipulative owners.

The film takes place in 1995 in Montreal, during a referendum on the separation of Quebec. But more importantly, it takes place during a snowy winter at an apartment building within a neighborhood where a serial killer is on the loose.

That’s where the tenants are greeted by Victor (Jay Baruchel), a neurotic and socially awkward new neighbor who develops a crush on Louise (Emily Hampshire), a loner who works at a local Chinese restaurant and adopts two stray cats that draw the ire of an upstairs busybody (Anne-Marie Cadieux).

Other characters in the mix include Spencer (Scott Speedman), a wheelchair-bound tenant who is friendly with Louise but harbors a few secrets, and the gossipy landlady (Micheline Lanctot) who is the first to contact authorities when the demise of Louise’s cats leads to some sinister acts, and eventually suspicion that the serial killer might strike the building.

Tierney is an actor himself, and he gets strong work from his three lead actors here. Baruchel is best known to most moviegoers for his Hollywood comedic roles, but proves equally adept in a darker and character-driven drama.

Yet the script, adapted by Tierney from a novel by Chrystine Brouillet, doesn’t generate consistent suspense. It throws in a few twists along the way, as well as the requisite red herrings, but it’s mostly a series of coincidences that build up to an arbitrary finale.

The film makes smart use of its setting, both the chilly Montreal winter and the well-worn apartment building where much of it takes place. Perhaps the material would have worked better on stage, where the trio of characters could achieve even greater intimacy.

It’s a study of loneliness and revenge that never delves much into its political backdrop, instead settling for a bleak murder mystery that includes some scenes of shocking brutality but a generic payoff.

Not rated, 96 minutes.