In 2024, a decade after its quiet release, IL Portiere Di Reestraat 16 Parte 2 has found new life on obscure letterboxd lists and YouTube comment sections. Viewers describe it as “hypnotic,” “frustrating,” “a lullaby for the displaced.” Some hate it for its deliberate slowness. Others return to it once a year, like a pilgrimage.
As of 2024, the film is not available on any major streaming platform. A 480p version exists on a now-defunct blog called Custode Nostalgico . The director, Livia Schenk, is rumored to work at a bookshop in Leuven, Belgium, but denies involvement with the film when asked. The actor Massimo Falsini returned to Italy and became a real-life concierge in a small apartment building in Ravenna. IL Portiere Di Reestraat 16 Parte 2 -2014-
Within the film’s narrative, Part 1 is referenced obliquely. The concierge keeps a notebook in which he has written “Vedi parte 1” (See part 1) next to a drawing of a key with no teeth. A Dutch tenant asks him, “Wanneer komt deel 1 uit?” (When does part 1 come out?) The concierge replies, “It already came. You missed it.” The tenant laughs. The concierge does not. In 2024, a decade after its quiet release,
To understand the work, one must first deconstruct its name. The title is a hybrid that tells a story of migration or observation. As of 2024, the film is not available