The Passing of the Third Floor Back: A bit too saintly for its own good

Is it worth your time?

If you like old British dramas that feel like they’re filmed inside a shoebox, you’ll probably find something to love here. If you prefer your movies with a bit more grit or, you know, people acting like real humans rather than chess pieces in a morality play, you might want to skip it.

It’s not quite as punchy as The Cat's-Paw, though it shares that same desperate need to believe in the goodness of strangers. I kept waiting for someone to just yell at the guy to stop being so helpful, but that never happens.

The boarding house vibe

The whole place feels dusty. You can almost smell the cabbage boiling in the kitchen. Conrad Veidt—who is usually playing someone way more sinister—shows up as "The Stranger," and he plays it with this intense, unblinking focus that’s honestly a little bit unsettling. He stands in doorways like he’s waiting for a bus that’s never coming.

There’s this one scene where he’s just staring at a woman, and it lasts for an eternity. My cat walked across the room and I didn't even notice because I was trying to figure out if he was a ghost or just really polite. It’s a bold choice to have your lead actor be a total blank slate, but Veidt makes it work in a weird, hypnotic way.

Stiff upper lips and all that

The tenants are all caricatures of misery. You’ve got the gossips, the bullies, and the people who clearly regret every life choice they’ve made since 1920. It’s a lot to take in. When they start turning into better people because of The Stranger's "influence," it feels a bit like watching a magic trick where you can see the wires.

It lacks the manic energy of something like Going Wild, but it’s got a steady pulse. The writing by Alma Reville is solid enough, but the movie feels like it’s straining to be profound. Sometimes a boarding house is just a place where you sleep, you know?

• The lighting in the hallway is actually really great, very moody.
• The dialogue is very "stagey." You can tell this was a play first.
• I’m still not convinced the ending makes any sense.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a strange little time capsule. I walked away feeling like I needed to go outside and be nice to someone, which is probably exactly what they wanted. Mission accomplished, I guess? 🎩