Backrooms and all the images you see in this review are owned by A24
Directed by Kane Parsons
William Goldman said that nobody knows anything in Hollywood, and the best can you hope for, if you’re lucky, is that you’re making educated guesses. I’d like to expand upon that idea and say that anyone who says they know anything about Hollywood knows less than most or are trying to sell you on a different story entirely. The release of this movie and other high profile, and highly profitable, films from the YouTube scene has certainly got people talking about the future of cinema; Never mind that the biggest hit of last year was a studio adaptation of Minecraft by a well-known director or that the biggest movie of this year is an animated kids movie based on a licensed property. I’m certainly happy whenever young talent gets a chance to break into Hollywood, especially if they come from unconventional backgrounds, but the hype around this movie after its strong box office opening was quite a thing to behold. I guess the quality of the movie is immaterial at this point given how much money it made and how much press it garnered, but is there a good movie to be found once you cut through all the noise, or is the hype surrounding it a far more interesting than the film itself? Let’s find out!!
Down on his luck furniture salesman Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is having a tough time dealing with his failing furniture store and his much more quickly failing marriage. His therapist Dr. Kline (Renate Reinsve) is doing her best to help him through his issues, but Clark seems to be far beyond the reach of anyone around him and is more intent on managing his store and maintaining his little world. Perhaps that’s what drew The Backrooms to his shop, or perhaps it was just a coincidence. Either way, he finds a mysterious doorway in the basement that leads to a series of yellow rooms with disquieting furniture and illogical architecture. His obsession with exploring this place is so great that others get dragged into this strange world and potentially to danger as something seems to be down there with them. What does Clark hope to find in these mysterious hallways, and will he regret his decision to seek it out? Can Dr. Kline save him from his own obsessions, or have The Backrooms claimed his as a victim? I mean if he’ hurting that badly for money, he could just sell tickets to the thing! Either they come back with a cool story, or the body is never found! Win-win!
The Reviewers Unite 