The Room (2019 film)
The Room is a 2019 English-language French thriller film directed by Christian Volckman and starring Olga Kurylenko, Kevin Janssens, John Flanders, Joshua Wilson, and Carole Weyers.[2][3][4][5] The film tells the story of a young couple who discover a way to fulfill any of their material desires, but then go too far by using it to create a child. It premiered on April 15, 2019 at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.[6]
| The Room | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Christian Volckman |
| Produced by | Yael Fogiel, Laetitia Gonzalez |
| Written by | Christian Volckman, Sabrina B. Karine, Eric Forestier |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Raf Keunen |
| Cinematography | Reynald Capurro |
| Edited by | Sophie Fourdrinoy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Elle Driver Volga Cinemundo |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 min |
| Country | France, Belgium, Luxembourg |
| Language | English[1] |
Plot
Matt and Kate, a young couple, move to Westminster, Maryland having purchased a secluded manor. While renovating, they discover a large steel door that leads to an empty room. After experiencing frequent electrical shortages, the couple calls an electrician to learn that the wiring in the home is a tangled mass that runs along the walls and floorboards of the property. As the electrician drives off, he exclaims his surprise that the property finally sold considering the previous owners were murdered on site.
That evening, Matt finds himself unable to sleep and ends up drinking while researching the murder. He learns that the killer is a "John Doe", i.e. his identity is not known, and that he is still alive, in a psychiatric hospital. He stumbles into the room and drunkenly wishes for another bottle of alcohol, which the room promptly grants him. The next morning, Kate finds Matt in the room surrounded by many expensive paintings. He encourages her to wish for money- and she does, wishing for millions. Over the next several days, the couple quit their jobs and party in the room, which continuously grants their wishes and desires.
Kate begins to fall into depression when she realizes that nothing they wish for has any real value, stating that she can just get "another, and another, and another". To cheer her up, Matt tells her he wants to try for a child, but she becomes angry, reminding him of her two previous miscarriages. She exclaims that she can't put herself through that pain again and storms out of the room. Matt walks past the bedroom moments later to discover that in her sadness, Kate used the room to wish for a son. Panicked, he tells her that what she has done is wrong and that she needs to force the room to take it back. When the couple is unable to bring themselves to wish away the child, Matt leaves the home in search of John Doe.
At the hospital, Matt speaks with the "John Doe" and doesn't learn much, but is warned that he and his wife should leave the house and forget about the room. Matt drives away only to find that the money he placed in his pocket has turned to ash. He tests his theory at home by placing his Van Gogh painting partially over the threshold. As he suspected, anything that leaves the home experiences rapid aging and decay. Just as he comes to this realization, Kate tells Matt she is taking the baby out for some fresh air. He warns her not to do so but she ignores him, only to panic when the baby quickly ages into a young child.
The couple's marriage deteriorates as Kate attempts to parent the child, Shane, while Matt chooses to ignore the child entirely. Kate experiences frustration being inexperienced and unable to properly discipline the child. Shane grows impatient with her as she refuses to let him outside, citing "germs and bacteria". Days later, Matt finds that Shane has discovered the powers of the room, prompting a tense fight between the couple. They are interrupted by a call from the "John Doe", who reveals to Matt that he was a child wish granted by the room, and in order for Shane to live, Kate must die. Kate overhears the conversation and flees the home in an attempt to crash her car but cannot bring herself to do so. When she returns, the couple reunites tearfully and have sex in the kitchen, unknowingly being watched by Shane.
The next morning, they are awoken by the slamming of the front door and discover that Shane went outside and aged himself into a man, though he still has the mind of a child. He exclaims that Kate lied to him about everything. He threatens the couple with Matt's gun but is distracted by Kate telling him she promised they could be together forever. Matt knocks him to the floor, pushing his wife into the piano during the scuffle. When she awakens, Matt tells her he killed Shane while they fought for the gun. Though she is heartbroken by the news, she accepts the outcome. Later Kate realizes that Matt is Shane in disguise. She pushes him away, but Shane overpowers and rapes her.
The real Matt comes to and realizes what happened. Matt tunnels through the walls next to the room and manages to break into the alternate "outside" that Shane created. He locates their replicated property and breaks into the home just as Shane is assaulting Kate. The two Matt's come face-to-face with one another and try to sway Kate to their side. After pushing the fake Matt down the stairs, the couple flees the house makes their way back to the room. They manage to trick Shane into going outside into the real world. Locking the door behind him, Kate watches as Shane ages rapidly and crumbles into ash.
Later the couple has abandoned the home and Kate stares at a positive pregnancy test, when a lamp flickered, she is shocked to realize the child is Shane's.
Cast
- Olga Kurylenko as Kate
- Kevin Janssens as Matt
- Joshua Wilson as Shane (child)
- John Flanders as John Doe
- Francis Chapman as Shane (adult)
- Vince Drews as Chet
- Marianne Bourg as Suzanne
- Oscar Lesage as Henry
- Carole Weyers as Mrs. Schaeffer
- Michaël Kahya as Mr. Schaeffer
Release
In 2019, the film was officially selected for Hof International Film Festival (Germany), Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia (Spain), and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), European Fantastic Film Festival (France), Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Belgium), Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (Switzerland), Ostend Film Festival (Belgium).
Reception
The Room received mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of August 2020, 71% of the thirteen reviews compiled on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 5.76/10.[7]
References
- "THE ROOM - Sitges Film Festival - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya". Sitges Film Festival. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "The Room (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "The Room (2019)". FilmAffinity (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Sprague, Mike (9 October 2019). "Trailer: The Room starring Olga Kurylenko". joblo.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ESPAÑA, ATLAS (7 October 2019). "Olga Kurylenko presenta 'The Room' en el Festival de Sitges". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Lemercier, Fabien (12 March 2018). "Christian Volckman poised to shoot The Room". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "The Room (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 13, 2020.