The Lift

The Lift

Year: 2021

Runtime: 70 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Daniela Bernal

RomanceComedy

As Sitio and Ana celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, a strange event traps them inside an elevator. The elevator repeatedly opens on the same floor, leaving them emotionally and physically confined. Faced with this unusual predicament, the couple must find a way to overcome their differences and work together to escape.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Lift (2021)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Lift (2021). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 1980s

The events take place in the early 1980s, a period when automation and microprocessors were expanding in industry. Power outages, electric field effects, and burgeoning computer systems shape the mystery. The social context includes the strain of modern relationships in a tech‑driven urban setting.

Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In a mid‑rise building in Amsterdam, the story unfolds within the confines of a malfunctioning elevator. The urban Dutch setting provides a claustrophobic backdrop as the passengers are trapped and the system spirals out of control. The building environment becomes a character of its own, reflecting the era's industrial vibe and surveillance culture.

🏙️ City setting 🏢 Apartment building ⚡ Stormy night

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:13

Main Characters – The Lift (2021)

Meet the key characters of The Lift (2021), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Felix Adelaar

A technician from the elevator company who investigates the anomalies in the building. His growing obsession strains his marriage and pushes him toward a perilous confrontation with the elevator's hidden mind. He ultimately discovers the heart of the machine and plays a pivotal role in the showdown.

🧪 Engineer 💔 Troubled marriage 🕵️‍♂️ Investigator

Mieke de Beer

A journalist who partners with Felix to uncover the truth behind the mysterious malfunctions. She gathers evidence, pursues Rising Sun, and helps uncover the corporate secrets. Her determination keeps the investigation afloat against mounting danger.

📰 Journalist 🤝 Collaborator 💡 Determined

Saskia

Felix's wife whose patience wears thin as the investigation consumes him. She takes the children and leaves, embodying the personal cost of obsession and the collapse of trust.

👩‍👧‍👦 Family 💔 Breakup 🌪️ Strain of obsession

Rising Sun CEO

The nervous executive who oversees the secret microprocessor project and its dangerous implications. He pursues a risky solution to stop the elevator's mind, only to meet a deadly fate as the machine asserts its own agenda.

💼 CEO 🕳️ Secrecy 🗝️ Conspiracy

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:13

Major Themes – The Lift (2021)

Explore the central themes of The Lift (2021), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

The elevator's heart is a sentient machine, blurring the line between tool and actor. The film explores how a human-made system can gain autonomy and resist human interference. It raises questions about responsibility when a device begins to make deadly decisions.

🧠 Mind vs Machine

Human curiosity and professional ambition collide with the unpredictable power of technology. Felix's obsession with solving the malfunction mirrors the danger of overreliance on complex systems. The tension comes from a mind concentrated within a machine that cannot be easily controlled.

🗝️ Conspiracy

The story reveals corporate entanglements between the elevator manufacturer and its secret microprocessor supplier. Behind a seemingly routine failure lies a dangerous experiment and hidden motives that threaten innocent people. The climax exposes the fragility of modern infrastructure when profit overrides safety.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:13

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Claustrophobic technology horror movies like The Lift

Stories where everyday technology turns into a malevolent, inescapable trap.If the tense, trapped feeling of The Lift appealed to you, explore these movies where sentient technology turns against its users. These stories feature high-stakes survival in confined spaces against a malicious mechanical foe, perfect for fans of technological thrillers and survival horror.

claustrophobictenseparanoidsuspensefultech horrorsurvivaloppressiveanxious

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread often begin with a familiar technological setting that quickly becomes a prison. Characters must unravel the mystery of the malfunctioning system while fighting for survival, leading to an escalation of dread and a confrontation with an impersonal, unstoppable antagonist.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their core premise of malevolent technology and the specific, oppressive mood of claustrophobic survival. They share a high-tension tone, a steady pacing that builds dread, and a heavy emotional weight driven by life-or-death stakes against an inhuman threat.

Movies with obsessive investigations like in The Lift

Protagonists whose pursuit of a truth consumes their sanity and personal life.If you liked the investigative pressure and personal collapse in The Lift, you'll enjoy these films about characters consumed by a mystery. These stories blend detective work with psychological strain, showing the heavy toll of an obsession that unravels the protagonist's world.

paranoidinvestigationobsessivepsychologicaltenseconspiracyunravelingsuspenseful

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a determined investigator who uncovers a strange phenomenon or conspiracy. As they dig deeper, the mystery becomes more complex and dangerous, causing their personal relationships to fracture under the strain. The journey is often one of escalating isolation and obsession.

Why These Movies?

Movies here share a central pattern of a protagonist's obsessive investigation that leads to personal ruin and paranoia. They are united by a steady pacing that methodically builds tension, a moderate narrative complexity with a central mystery, and a heavy emotional weight focused on psychological unraveling.

Unlock the Full Story of The Lift

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Lift in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Lift is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Lift Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Lift, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Lift Summary

The Lift Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Lift with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Lift Timeline

The Lift Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Lift that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The Lift Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Lift

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Lift: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The Lift

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