FILM OF THE WEEK
INTERVIEW | review: The Room |
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| Written by Boyd van Hoeij | |
| Friday, 01 December 2006 | |
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The story does not suffer from this attempt at overstuffing, however, constructing its narrative from the elements present in its simple family home setting. The film is ostensibly about the appearance of a mysterious door at the end of an upstairs corridor, but its true mystery is what lies beyond that door: the room. The family consists of father Max (a deliciously over the top Philippe Résimont, recalling Jack Nicholson’s devilish Joker) and mother (Françoise Mignon), their three children: Alex with Down syndrome (portrayed by Pascal Duquenne), daughter and soon-to-be single mother Melinda (Caroline Veyt) and youngest tyke Benjamin (Maximillien Jouret-Maron). How, in the course of the film a red gerbera seems to be able to explain both everything and nothing (suggesting Citizen Kane’s mysterious rosebud in full bloom and view) and how – though not what – happens in the room is really possible is never really answered, but this film’s insistence on a physical manifestation of inner troubles is nevertheless fascinating. A similar premise also intrigued in the more consequently stylish Matrix-inspired Mårlind & Stein film Storm from Sweden, which played in the International Competition at Cinénygma. This film was screened as part of the Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival. Browse for DVDs, soundtracks, books and more: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.de, dvdGO.es, internetbookshop.it, nl.bol.com, allposters.com. |
The Cinénygma Film Festival here in Luxembourg opened with the Belgian thriller The Room, which was also part of the Méliès d'argent Competition for Best European Fantasy Film. The Room was directed by Giles Daoust, who debuted two years ago with the film Last Night on Earth. Strangely enough, the French-language Room feels like a first work, suffering from the typical rookie syndrome of trying to do too much in one film, especially were the look and feel of the film are concerned. Can a film be too atmospheric for its own good? There are black and white sequences with red highlights a la Sin City, monochrome shots that bathe everything in a blue light, blue-coloured shots with specks of colour, desaturated shots, overexposed shots, interminable tracking shots, white flashes, fast cuts. It often feels like a promo reel for what can be done in the cutting room with the latest software rather than a coherent visual palette.| < Prev | Next > |
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