Suite 16 (1994) User Reviews

An Intriguing Fight Between Power and Alienation

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 15 February 2004]

Chris (Antonie Karmeling) is a violent and ignorant small-time Dutch crook. He uses his body and beautiful face to seduce old married women, and then he robs them. One day, after assaulting a friend of him, he steals his van and moves to Nice. There, he goes with an old woman to her room in a fancy hotel, and when he is robbing her, she fights with him, hurts his face and he attacks her. Chris believes he has killed her, and while escaping from the employees of the hotel and from the police, he hides himself in the suite 16. Chris meets the owner of the suite, the wealthy paraplegic Glover (Peter Postlethwaite). They make an agreement, and Chris gets paid for staying in the suite having sex with prostitutes for Peter watch it through a camera. The story finishes in a tragic way. Yesterday I watched this European movie and I found it very intriguing. The character of Chris is violent, ignorant, impulsive, alienated, athletic and makes anything for money (indeed, the guy is obsessed for money). Glover, magnificently performed by Peter Postlethwaite, is the opposite: very well controlled, intellectual (he makes many citations along the film), paraplegic and unhealthy, wealthy and very intelligent, he plans each step, like a cat playing with a mouse before eating it. The story is not well resolved: my impression is that the writer did not know how to finish the plot. This erotic, violent and intriguing film is recommended for a very specific public, who certainly will have the attention hooked along the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Aconteceu na Suite 16' (`It Has Happened in Suite 16')

Eurotrash with eye candy

[imbluzclooby · 4/10 · 6 November 2007]

A wheelchair bound millionaire struggles with impotence. He catches the services of a beautiful and tough blond hustler named Chris. Chris is no more than a common thug and he is out on a lamb escaping a murder charge. Glover uses him to lure women so he can watch Chris fornicate with a barrage of willing women to pay for Chris' services.

This movie is rather slow and has corny dialogue. Kammerling's physical appeal with his chiseled beauty and glorious brawn carry the film so far. But Postelwaite's creepy control takes charge as we see him take advantage of Chris.

If you want to see some softcore sex with good looking people and an old voyeur in a wheelchair, this can be satisfying. For eye candy purposes this film is alright.

# 04 : Get out of this orange nightmare (DVD)

[lamegabyte · 3 June 2019]

Orange is a difficult color because it doesn't breath life: it's close to red blood and it's the color for rust, decayed things. Now you have been warned because in this movie, this color is everywhere: on the walls, on the dresses, on the bricks, on the video games. It's even subliminal because the movie stars a Dutch man.

This could have been the sequel of "Costa" because it's the same beginning: young Dutch men coming abroad to sea, sex and sun, leaving away their inhibitions at their homeland.

The problem is that such confused adult meets here a disabled man who turned suicidal. The best they can do is to have sex with women, with men. Imagine that for forty minutes, those two lunatic doesn't leave the suite and while one is with prostitutes, the other watches it!

Well, it's really crap, crippled artistic vision. I don't know what Geraldine Pailhas was looking for here. Sure, disabled people suffer from their state and they must have someone to live, but not this way, thanks!

Great director, mediocre movie

[Coventry · 2/10 · 30 March 2005]

Director Dominique Deruddere is a much more interesting person that this mediocre movie leads you to believe. Other than this "thing", he made some of the greatest Belgian movies ever, like "Wait until Spring Bandini", "Hombres Complicados" and especially "Crazy Love". This latter one can easily compete with prestigious American movies when it comes to drama, cinematography and plot. For "Suite 16", Deruddere had the opportunity to work with a bigger budget and some important names here and I fear that's what caused him to deliver a seemly-unfinished film. Some good dialogues and interesting content can't prevent this film from being a tedious and uninteresting social portrait. The plot introduces a young crook (Antonie Kamerling) on the run for other villains and he ends up in the suite of the wheel-chaired manipulator Glover. At first, Glover appears to be a sad and frustrated impotent guy from whom Chris can easily take advantage of but it's actually the other way around…or something. There are absolutely no exciting moments in this film and the young Dutch actor Kamerling suffers way too much from his ego. The film is stuffed with sex sequences but they're not exactly interesting or meaningful (Glover constantly hires prostitutes to make Chris stay). Suite 16 is very boring and not at all controversial, although it obviously tries to be. I advise you to skip this one and go straight for some of the other film's on Deruddere's repertoire.

pure crap

[litti · 2/10 · 10 December 2002]

I was thinking that this would be an american film, and it turned out to be a pale European-film. The acting is so unbelievably poor and especially the young lad is very unconvincing. It tells something that is my first DVD that I just couldn't bear watching. Waste of money,then.

There are a few semi-nude-scenes but unfortunately not strong enough to keep me coming back for this. Avoid at all costs!

Don't take candy from strangers.....

[Boggman · 8/10 · 4 August 2005]

"Suite 16" has always been a personal favorite of mine. Mostly due to the excellent performances of Pete Postlethwaite & Antonie Kamerling, this gripping drama in psychological and physical control has all the right ingredients to get right under your skin like a bad case of flesh eating bacteria!

Summary: After an argument and fight with a wealthy one night stand in a posh hotel, young hustler Chris finds himself trapped inside. With nowhere to go and the cops closing in on the hotel fast, he wanders into "Suite 16" in a fit of despair. Inside, a handicapped and wheelchair bound Glover (Pete Postlethwaite) is held captive for the evening once discovered by Chris.

However, things change the next day when Glover informs Chris that the woman he slept with is now dead; and that he surely will be sought out for her murder. Lonely and bored, Glover offers to shelter Chris for awhile while the cuts and bruises from the previous nights escapades have time to heal.

Without much of a choice, Chris agrees......and our twisted tale of indulgence begins.

Doting on the boy with his money, Glover feeds Chris, offers him up plenty of booze and cocaine...and lavishes him with hookers at his whim to meet his every sexual desire.

All the while Chris treats Glover like a handicapped gimp, verbally insulting and abusing him during the process. After Chris realizes that his sexual encounters are being taped and watched by Glover in the next room....Chris threatens to leave, much to Glovers dismay.

So Glover makes a deal with Chris--he will pay him to stay and be his own personal porn star--while he watches every encounter from the room afar. Since Chris has dreams of starting his own club in the Carribbean, this offer sounds to good to be true....and he gladly accepts.

However, Glovers demands on what he would like Chris to do in the sack grow increasingly more disturbing, masochistic, and bizarre. Finally, after having enough Chris tries once again to leave.

But this time--Glover offers him ALL the money he will need for his club once he leaves- IF he performs just one sick and twisted act of murder for him.

Will Chris do it?

What will be the consequences of such a high stakes game of cat and mouse?

"Suite 16" is a very good movie with some heavy handed material. However, it is quite intriguing and compelling for mature audiences- and the chemistry of Glover and Chris is quite fascinating to watch as it develops throughout the film.

The DVD transfer isn't all that great (actually it sucks) - but as a viewer without heavy expectations on ratio aspect etc...the annoyance fades rather quickly.

All in all - if you can get your hands on it..stop in and check out "Suite 16".

Highly recommended!

Who really was the impotent one?

[Havan_IronOak · 8/10 · 23 May 2003]

In this film of sexual manipulation and head games it quickly becomes clear that Chris, the beautiful hustler on the make is living a life totally out of control. When he first meets wheelchair-bound Glover, he has the upper hand. His physicality and his threats of violence can only take him so far though. As their relationship continues, Glover more and more becomes the one in control.

Many folks reviewing this movie seem to hate it and yet I found the dynamic between the two individuals and their ambiguous sexual orientation was interesting enough to carry the plot along to its eventual conclusion.

That dynamic and the eye candy provided by Antonie Kamerling was certainly enough to keep me interested until the end.

Awesome!

[denise-georgiou · 10/10 · 14 September 2005]

I loved this movie! It was fast paced and full of insight. It's a movie for people who love to analyze story lines and theorize. I definitely recommend it! If you are one of those people that love to watch action packed movies with no meaning behind them, that don't make you think, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM! IT IS NOT FOR YOU! This movie is strictly for thinkers.....and for those who gave this film bad reviews...what were you watching??? Like I said this is only for thinkers! The writing is incredible and should be noted as much as the directing and the acting should....if it wasn't for those three elements, this movie would never have got my vote as it would never have sustained it's detail. Excellent Film!

Desperately poor

[drella-2 · 12 August 1999]

Let me say from the outset that Pete Postlethwaite is one of our best character actors and that Charlea Higson is a fine writer of skewed noir thrillers (read 'Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen' if you appreciate grim, black farce). But what the hell went wrong here? A blond g*t who couldn't act his way out of a wet Kleenex, characters who've stepped out of a bad student improvisation project and sex scenes as erotic as Spam that's been left in a warm place for three weeks. I think there's some statement about voyeurism, sexuality and control trying to slip out here, but I'm too dumbfounded by the abject crapness of the entire project to remember. Are we allowed to give minus points?

Classic Disability Flick

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 22 June 2011]

Director Dominique Deruddere has created a gem in Suite 16.

Starring the late Pete Postlethwaite who has also been in other classic flicks, The Town 2010, Solomon Kane 2009, The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1997, Romeo + Juliet 1996, In the Name of the Father 1993 and The Last of the Mohicans 1992.

Also starring are Antonie Kamerling.

Also starring Geraldine Pailhas.

I enjoyed the sex and drug scenes.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic disability flicks, Dance me to my Song 1998, The Waterdance 1992, My Left Foot 1989, Born on the Fourth of July 1989, Eraserhead 1977, Combat Shock 1986, What's Eating Gilbert Grape 1993, Rolling Thunder 1977, Masters of Horror: Jenifer 2005, The Funhouse 1981, Feed 2005, Santa Sangre 1989, Freaks 1932, Basket Case 1982, Masters of Horror: Imprint 2006, The Toxic Avenger 1984, Niagara, Niagara 1997, Go Now 1995, The Theory of Everything 2014, Mask 1985 and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger 4 2000.

Antonie Kamerling

[ralph-65 · 4 March 2000]

The whole point of antonie kamerling in suite 16 is eye candy. The character played by pete is obviously sexually repressed and finds the character played by Antonie extremely attractive yet he is unable to act upon it due to his physical deformaties. The woman only comes into it to make the character played by antonie jealous. antonie plays an excellent role in what could be called, at best, a bad movie. He was hired for his beauty and he used it to its full extent in the inadequate directing of this movie.