The Room

A thousand things could have been done a little differently in The Room, and it wouldn’t have worked as well as it did. This is a perfect game with the audience that starts out (deliberately?) with the most overused “haunted house” plot, continues as a case of transparent moralizing along the lines of “be careful what you wish for”, and eventually develops into ... (Shhh! I’m not going to spoil it for you!). It is sophisticated bordering on overly contrived, but in terms of logic, it is a beautifully functional and multi-dimensional film, moreover with a strong social message and some light existential undertones (the loss of a child, aging, the inability to change one’s fate). This would have been admirable even if it had been a book. And Volckman told it flawlessly through filmmaking! [Sitges FF] (10/06/2019)

After the great trailer, the end result is a better average. Matt and Kate buy an isolated house where they discover a room that can materialize any wish. This concept is delivered very entertainingly until Olga Kurylenko wishes for something she could never have. I found the second half not as entertaining or interesting. There's quite a lot of WTF stuff going on and the finale is oddly overwrought. Thanks to the idea and the beautiful Olga, it might be worth watching, but I expected it to be more intense maybe even more suspenseful. 60%. (10/16/2019)

Do not watch the trailers, avoid any spoilers! The pleasantly playful first half of the movie will provide plenty of light-hearted entertainment foreshadowing the darker second half where the main characters’ recklessness is bound to backfire, and a desperately bleak situation that will expose them to several deeply unpleasant trials. The movie works creditably well within the principles that guide the way the titular room functions, so that the seemingly harmless game of wishing at the start has turned into an almost Matrix-esque thriller in the finale. The two main stars Olga Kurylenko and Kevin Janssens carry this movie so well,, and when the audience forgives their characters for their reckless behavior after discovering the room initially, they ordinarily end up having to root for them at the end. [Sitges 2019] (10/16/2019)

An exemplary example of a film where the main characters are gradually shattered due to supernatural events. By the end, all the perceptions and twists might be a bit much, but you can't deny the originality and the appealing chamber setting that suit it perfectly. Such an understated yet almost excellent film. (02/01/2020)

I would like to start by mentioning that I am not a big fan of unreal stories and supernatural phenomena. In that strange house with an even stranger room, I quickly found myself drawn into the story, and from then on, I eagerly awaited to see how it would all unfold. I wasn't too scared, but I have to admit that I haven't seen such a good mystery horror film in a long time. In addition, The Room managed to make me think about questions with a philosophical overlay, which I really appreciate, because there aren't many films in the genre that can do that. (80%) (07/02/2021)