
With affordable housing in short supply, young adults are increasingly struggling to find a place to call home. Halima Elkhatabi’s fly-on-the-wall documentary invites us to 15 apartments in Montreal, where a diverse assortment of potential roommates interview each other to determine their compatibility. The ensuing conversations are an intricate and at times humorous dance of self-disclosures and boundary-testing: would their potential new roomie mind their lengthy showers? How about table-saw noise? Or the need to store 100 unsorted Lego sets? Can they roll with the polycule’s visiting schedule?
Cinematographer Josué Bertolino’s candid interview footage is punctuated by shots of the bedrooms’ décor, showcasing their inhabitants’ delightfully distinct personalities. Authentic connections soon emerge as the film’s subjects gush about passions ranging from voguing to stand-up comedy to film, poetry, and Lebanese music, unveiling a rich tapestry of cultural interests. Heartfelt discussions soon unfold on the topics of white privilege, patriarchy, neurodiversity, sexuality, and mental health. Bursting with personality, Elkhatabi’s empathetic documentary presents an earnest snapshot of Montreal’s zeitgeist.
Presented by
Media Partner
Canada
2024
In French and English with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Nathalie Cloutier
Producer
Nathalie Cloutier
Screenwriter
Halima Elkhatabi
Cinematography
Josué Bertolino
Editor
Yousra Benziane
Original Music
Timo Vossenkaul

Halima Elkhatabi
Montreal-based writer and director Halima Elkhatabi studied at the Institut national de l’image et du son and now works in documentary and fiction film, as well as in audio documentary production. She was a co-director of the collaborative doc St-Henri, the 26th of August (2011), directed the short fiction film Nina (Canada’s Top Ten at TIFF in 2015) and authored the podcasts La route du bled, Chloé et Abdi, Songe d’une nuit d’hiver and La route de l’Eldorado. Living Together is her debut feature-length documentary.
Photo by Maude Chauvin
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
A Streetcar Named Desire
"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.
The Other
Filmed from 2017-2024, including post October 7 and during the subsequent war, Joy Sela's documentary is an inspiring testament to how human beings -- even in the worst circumstances -- can transcend difference to forge connection and understanding.
#Skoden
Pernell Bad Arm was a man, and much more than the provocative meme (captioned #Skoden: Let's go then) which went viral about a decade ago. Damien Eagle Bear gives us a warm and respectful portrait of the man he knew.
On the Waterfront
Marlon Brando's definitive performance as Terry Malloy, a New York dockworker (and once a promising boxer) who loses faith in his union and his smarter but corrupt older brother Charlie (Rod Steiger) after a whistleblower is murdered.
Stories of Our Lives
Stories of Our Lives (62 mins) documents personal stories of lovers, fighters and rebels and the community histories that characterize the queer experience in Kenya. This is preceded by the touching and resonant 38-minute Nigerian love story, Ìfé.