Room 0

Disclaimer: the director is an old friend and I received a screener, but I tried to write the most objective review possible.

Room 0 is the perfect example of how you do a microbudget indie science fiction movie. With its single lead character, one claustrophobic location, and a plot that takes advantage of the lack of resources and turns them into a framework for a twisting story, writer-director Richard Kodai managed not only to create a gripping story but even to increase momentum from scene to scene, so the movie never feels sluggish. Even though at its core Room 0 relies on a sci-fi trope that has been used in various movies and TV series, this take still feels fresh. Special mention to lead actress Remy Chartier who carries the entire movie on her own with a wide range of emotions. Even the voice actors have the necessary gravitas. I only have some minor gripes, like tiny sound issues or the lack of certain scenes that could have made some plot elements even more understandable, but these are all small issues, probably due to budget constraints. Much recommended!

Twilight Zone Grounghogs Day Black Mirror Cluastrophobic Mystery Thriller that pulls you in the Sympathetic Frustrations right along with the only lead Character on Screen who's only building actions are driven by timelapsed conversations with other characters you never see but cleary hear so you know within a few sentences but never quite sure why and what has or is happening. Every new answer spawns more questions. Time moves faster and faster towards an ending of many possibilities with little actual Information almost like reading a book where your mind fills in the rest with your imagination. This is liking to a one woman show but with no real monolouges, some nice visuals and sonic clues fill our the rest of the egnimatic journey.

The 2024 mystery thriller from writer and director Richard Kodai was a movie that I hadn't heard about when I sat down to watch it. So all I knew about it was was the information I got from the synopsis. I will say, though, that the synopsis sounded interesting enough to make me have an interest.

But the end result of the movie was not all that interesting. I found the narrative to be rather bland and devoid of anything overly interesting or thrilling. And I have to admit that the movie got repetitive rather quickly. Sure, that was the point of the time loop narrative, but since it was devoid of overly interesting things happening and a rather slow pacing, then sitting through "Room 0" was somewhat of a struggle.

The movie has a very small cast list, with the majority being voice actors only. The acting performances in the movie were fair, but the actors and actresses didn't really have all that much to work with. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress in the movie, and that is actually something that I do enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie.

I have to say that "Room 0" fell short of entertaining me, and this is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I will recommend for fans of mystery thrillers to sit down and watch. This movie is no "Groundhog Day" movie, far from it actually.

My rating of writer and director Richard Kodai's 2024 movie lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

There are a lot of people in the world who want to be writers, actors, directors, etc. Independent films gives them a place to go and I always try to support them whenever possible. There was an interview I saw with Mr. Kodai and I believe he said he made this movie on a shoestring, like seven thousand dollars. Jeez Louise, considering how much everything costs these days he did a bang up job with this one. Good script, too. Now, on to something that bugged me. The actress is Natalya Wood, Remy is a guy. The woman did a great job and you guys should fix this. She acted her heart out and I think everyone on this project did it because it was a labor of love and a lot of fun, something you might not see anymore in the big production Hollywood films.

Disclaimer: I am family friends with the writer-director, but I saw this independently of him and my words below are my own.

As noted in the title, fans of Room 104 may appreciate the minimalist style of this indie movie: everything takes place in one room, with the main actor (Remy Chartier) being almost the only one seen onscreen and special effects limited to flashes and general graphics. This allows the viewer to focus on the slow-burning plot which expands into a complex situation where it is discovered that time is being held hostage by a mysterious force. Where the film succeeds best is showing the evolution of our heroine as she tries to battle the hopelessness and loneliness of her situation, during which she reevaluates her sense of self. In other words, the movie makes the most of itself by allowing the viewers to imagine what goes on outside the room while seeing the effects isolation can have on one person, a very relatable concept in a post-COVID world.

So if this is the type of movie you appreciate and are always trying to find more of, I recommend it.