The Oak Room

I like atmospheric movies. Especially ones in snowy settings. That said, there really is no narrative. There are 2 men in ever scene, having a conversation. Many of the conversations don't further any through line. Or if they do, you need to conjure them up yourself. This is the "Pine Barrens" episode of"The Sopranos". It was an entertaining episode, it stuck with you afterward, but it was also frustrating, Is it worthwhile? I'd say 70-80% of casual movie watchers will regret watching it. 5% will love it--reading more into it than there actually is. The remaining 15-25% will be somewhat disappointed, yet entertained.

For those who enjoy storytelling, please ignore the low ratings. It is not confusing and everything makes sense. It also isnt boring at all.

I saw The Oak Room recently at a local film festival and am very pleased I had the opportunity. This film is set in a bar at closing time during a snow storm. One character tells the other a story, and we go from there. Now whilst some of the acting is a little over the top or unconvincing in places, on the whole this was very well done. The setting of the bar and the snowstorm was done so well that despite being indoors and properly dressed for October, I was cold! The film made me feel cold! The tension was built over the course of the film, with a twist that I wasn't fully expecting. I knocked a couple of stars off as despite fully understanding the plot and twist, things were introduced towards the very end that weren't given proper context. It didn't ruin the film at all, it just felt like a few loose ends. Overall I really enjoyed The Oak Room.

A disloyal son returns to the bar his late father used to frequent, but who will face the music?

A web of haunting menace, woven through stories within stories, down to the fourth level where we find a piglet. The point here is to catch the drift, rather than wonder about the destination, because there's only one place all these characters are headed.

This is framed and paced with expertise, using visual and musical motifs to layer the experience; with stories split apart or laid out on divergent tracks, both fabricated and sworn to be true. It even includes a goose-the-truth scene to show how exactly to tell a story - and, yes, the barman made that story up, but his next one reveals all you need to take to heart and, in combination with the piglet story, provides a disturbing foundation.

The two lead performances are excellent, and the production is to a high standard, varying the emphasis in what is basically a two-hander. And I loved the music from Torero and Steph Copeland.

Overall: Not really a horror, but a weird tale done to perfection.

The Oak Room is a good movie with a creepy feel. It's all about the mystery and the mood - and he dialog. It all starts with a man entering a remote bar in a snow storm as it's closing for the evening. The man is known to the bartender, and the meeting is the start of an eerie evening, with a story told the very same way this movie starts. Who are these men, how are they interconnected?

Well played, and with good tension, this movie unfolds like a theatrical chamber play where it lies in the dialog.