When debt-collector Francois goes to raid the apartment of an Algerian family in the Parisian suburbs, it’s just another day at the office. At least, it should be – until he and his police escort are held hostage by panicked tenant Salem, who happens to be holding onto a stash of cocaine for a local dealer. Tensions mount as anti-terrorist squads race to the apartment complex, and without clear demands, communications break down almost immediately.

It sounds like the makings of a thriller, and first-time feature director Angelo Cianci’s TOP FLOOR, LEFT WING has more than its share of intense atmosphere, but the film is more ambitious than that. Reinforced with healthy doses of humour and political satire, TOP FLOOR, LEFT WING works as both a taut hostage drama and a commentary on contemporary France, where clashes between French authorities and culturally diverse suburbs have become increasingly common. Neither side in this hostage drama is entirely innocent, but the question remains – can cross-cultural understanding really happen at the barrel of a gun?

Exiled Algerian comic & political dissident Fellag can also be seen in MONSIEUR LAZHAR playing at CIFF 2011.