The Room (2019 Film)

''The Room'' is a 2019 English-language psychological thriller film directed by Christian Volckman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sabrina B. Karine and Eric Forestier. The film stars Olga Kurylenko and Kevin Janssens as a married couple who move into a remote house and discover a mysterious room capable of materializing anything they wish for. As their desires escalate, the consequences of their choices begin to spiral out of control. The film had its world premiere on 15 April 2019 at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.

Plot

Matt and Kate, a young couple, move into an isolated house in Upstate New York. While renovating, they discover a concealed room that mysteriously grants any wish made within it. As they begin experimenting with the room's powers, the couple quits their jobs and uses it to fulfill their material desires. However, they soon realize that the objects created by the room hold no real value and cannot exist outside the house—aging rapidly into dust once removed.

Tensions rise when Kate, still grieving two previous miscarriages, secretly uses the room to create a baby, whom they name Shane. Matt is disturbed by this and urges her to undo the wish, but neither can bring themselves to erase the child. As Shane grows, the couple disagrees over how to raise him, with Kate acting as a protective mother and Matt becoming distant.

Matt visits a psychiatric hospital and meets a man known as "John Doe", who claims to have once lived in the house. He warns Matt of the dangers of the room and reveals that he, too, was created by it. Because his creators died, he was able to survive outside the house—an outcome only possible through their deaths.

Back home, Shane begins to explore the room's powers, eventually building an expansive outdoor environment and a replica of the house. When Shane overhears Matt and Kate discussing the truth of his origin, he escapes outside and rapidly ages into a teenager. His behavior becomes erratic and violent, culminating in an altercation in which both Matt and Kate are knocked unconscious.

Shane kidnaps Kate and takes her to the cloned house, where he assaults her. Matt pursues them and discovers that the replica contains a maze-like interior. During a confrontation, Shane fatally stabs a version of Matt—later revealed to be a duplicate. The real Matt and Kate ultimately trick Shane into leaving the house, where he rapidly ages and disintegrates.

In the aftermath, Matt and Kate abandon the house and move into a motel. One month later, Kate discovers she is pregnant. As the motel lights flicker, it is implied that the pregnancy may be linked to the room's powers.

Cast

Release

''The Room'' premiered on 15 April 2019 at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. It was later screened at several international festivals, including Bucheon (South Korea), Sitges (Spain), Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Strasbourg (France), Hof (Germany), and Ostend (Belgium).

The film had limited theatrical releases across various countries in late 2019 and 2020. It opened in Portugal and Ukraine on 12 September 2019, Russia on 19 September, South Korea on 25 September, Taiwan on 22 November, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on 6 February 2020, Sweden on 28 February, and Turkey and Hong Kong in August 2020.

In the United States, the film was released digitally via the Shudder streaming platform.

Reception

''The Room'' received mixed reviews from critics, with praise directed at its central concept and visual design, while its narrative execution and character development drew criticism. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10.

Noah Berlatsky of ''Polygon'' commented that while the premise was conceptually strong, the film ultimately lacked cohesion and emotional depth. He noted that the story drifted away from its initial tension, resulting in a less impactful experience. In a review for ''Collider'', the film was described as a disturbing psychological piece, with particular attention given to its commentary on human desire and the unintended consequences of wish fulfillment. The visual atmosphere and production design were highlighted as strengths.

''Wicked Horror'' praised the performances of Olga Kurylenko and Kevin Janssens and commended the film’s aesthetic choices. However, it criticized the second half of the film for shifting into darker territory without sufficient character groundwork, undermining the emotional weight of its final act. Ryan Lattanzio of '' IndieWire'' described ''The Room'' as a " Twilight Zone-style thriller" with striking imagery and an inventive premise. Despite this, he found the screenplay underdeveloped and argued that the film struggled to fully realize its philosophical themes.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Room, The (2019 film)
2019 films
2019 thriller films
Belgian thriller films
Belgian science fiction films
English-language Belgian films
English-language French films
English-language Luxembourgian films
Films set in Maryland
French thriller films
Luxembourgian thriller films
2010s French films
2010s Belgian films