Overview
In a world where kindness can bloom amidst despair, unexpected connections bring hope.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- wistful
- tender
- reflective evening
- quiet weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a warmly observed and unusual comedy-drama whose interconnected stories balance urban loneliness with humane, quirky tenderness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sternkowitz, Jeanne Meyer, Charly, John McKenzie, and Madame Hamida occupy interwoven stories centered on one dilapidated apartment building.
An American astronaut landing in Madame Hamida's flat and Sternkowitz using a Polaroid to court a nurse turn loneliness into gently paradoxical comedy.
The plot repeatedly emphasizes kindness, selflessness, and connection among anonymous residents of the building.
The dilapidated building and painful effects of time frame bonds between Sternkowitz, the nurse, Jeanne, Charly, John, and Madame Hamida.
Films like Macadam Stories, and why
Songs from the Second Floor
shared deadpan humanism, interconnected apartment stories, and oddball urban melancholy
Amélie
shared whimsical social observation, ensemble structure, and tenderness toward lonely outsiders
The Women on the 6th Floor
shared French apartment-building setting, comic awkwardness, and themes of isolation and solidarity
Movie Details
- Director
- Samuel Benchetrit
- Release Date
- 2015-05-17
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (200)
Cast
- Isabelle Huppert
- Gustave Kervern
- Tassadit Mandi
- Jules Benchetrit
- Michael Pitt
- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
- Mickaël Graehling
- Larouci Didi
- Abdelmajid Barja
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Brew, Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Macadam Stories about?
- Three intertwined stories of lonely residents transform a crumbling French apartment block into an unlikely refuge of comic tenderness.
- What is Macadam Stories like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Macadam Stories as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Macadam Stories violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Macadam Stories.
- What did critics think of Macadam Stories?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a warmly observed and unusual comedy-drama whose interconnected stories balance urban loneliness with humane, quirky tenderness.
- Which films are like Macadam Stories?
- Films with a similar feel include Songs from the Second Floor, Amélie, and The Women on the 6th Floor.
- How long is Macadam Stories?
- Macadam Stories runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Macadam Stories?
- In United States, Macadam Stories streams on Brew, Darkroom.
