The characters in Gigi dash up and down stairs so much, we're pretty sure they have stronger quads than the bike cops in Seattle. With each climb, the characters (about nine out of ten times, it's Gaston) go upstairs fueled by passion and go downstairs in anger or sadness. Or a huff.

There's Gigi, red-faced after playing too long at the park, running up the steps up to her own apartment. There's Gaston, up and down a zillion times on the stairs to Madame Alvarez's, whether it's a regular social call or in some whipped-up love-fury. Even Aunt Alicia leaves her apartment (that rare occurrence), and charges up her sister's stairs after hearing about Gigi's unthinkable refusal of Gaston.

Generally, up the stairs is good; down the stairs is bad. Up is hopeful, down is despair. As we said, not subtle.