The film tells the story of the endless sadness and instability in the marriage of a couple in the heart of America. Perhaps they will still be fooled by the glittering New York that they are fine, until they discover that the window of the apartment opposite is not covered with curtains, the couple there makes love every night and gives each other affectionate gestures. That is the moment they realize, they are lonely in their own house, lonely in the heart of the most luxurious city in the world.
Scene of Alli and his wife looking at the apartment across the street through a curtainless window
Not only New York, there is a loneliness, an instability in the heart of America that has been mentioned long before: the gap between rich and poor, cultural and political disagreements, racism, and even the lingering sadness when comparing oneself with the lives of others.
An old train station in New York
A portrait of Trayvon Martin - a 17-year-old black boy who was shot dead - is placed on Livonia Avenue, New York
Americans still proudly call Pocatello “the smiling capital of the world,” because smiling is essential there. Any sign of gloom is frowned upon, even illegal. It seems that New York City is also cloaked in a cloak of false happiness—a 2014 survey found that New York was the least happy city in America.
Prosperous New York street corners seen from above
Here, people worry about everything. Low-income earners worry about the cost of living, the middle class is uncomfortable being inferior to the “upper class”, the rich are jealous because they can’t buy a private plane. The rich complain and worry about their children’s future. And the maids, cooks… are always self-conscious about their jobs.
New York City
Somehow, they still have to hide their instability and look through other people's "windows" to live on - as Marshall Curry described in his work The Neighbors' Window.
Scene of Alli trying to peek into the apartment across the street
Only when Alli - the female lead - realized that behind the window of the house opposite, a couple was also silently observing and wishing for a life like her family, did everything come to an end. Alli was more satisfied with her current life.
The Neighbors' Window ending scene
The film ends with a scene of Alli’s family seen through a curtainless window. It’s unclear whether it’s from the apartment across the street, or from another family continuing the cycle of unrest in New York City. But one thing is for sure, this film has touched the hearts of many Americans, calm and worried, standing on this side or the other of the window. And a film like this deserves an Oscar…
