Room 0

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.

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.

As a lover of independent films I never know what I'm going to get. Will it be a campy film or one that makes you think. Luckily Room 0 was the latter. It starts out with the young woman and a mysterious box. The box is explained in act 2.

The film used its budget wisely as the young woman was "trapped" in the motel room. This used the limitations as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The box was also used for transition between "days."

This film reminds me of Clerks in that they used what was available and wrote around it. When you don't have millions to work with, you have to be creative.

All in all this was a great movie and I'm looking forward to the director's future work.

I have been looking forward to watching this film for sometime. I am a Filmmaker myself and I know many of the people involved with this production. While I am friends with them, I will endeavor to be honest in my review.

First, this is a "Micro Budget" film which by definition means the budget for it was from 1 thousand to 100 thousand dollars (more often the lower end of that range). The production value, and skill could easily have the audience believe it had a much bigger budget. I will also say up front that there a small details that could have been done better but, I also feel that I spot them because I am a filmmaker.

Room 0 is a unique take on the classic Sci-Fi Sub Genre of "Time Loop" stories. We are all familiar with "Groundhog's Day", "Edge of Tomorrow", and "The Butterfly Effect." Room 0 breaks new ground in this genre with the way it deals with the same event repeating over and over.

The story arc shows us a different way for the protagonist, a young actress named Natalya V. Wood and only credited as "Young Woman", turns in a very good performance as the person trapped in the loop.

The writer, Richard Kodai (also producer, director and editor) has crafted a nice, suspenseful story that will keep you guessing where it is going. Normally I can guess where a story will go, but Richard did a fine job of changing direction which makes this story unique.

The cinematography, Matthew Oistacher director of photography, production design, Richard, Natalya, and Synthia Roy, and sound design, Gordon Richards, Remy Chartier, and Richard, all combine very well to create a dark, imposing and bleak world in which this story takes place.

Richard makes excellent use of additional characters as "off screen" characters only heard on the phone. The antagonist "Big Frank" is a chilling "Mobster" type character voiced by Sean Collins. Collins voice had a mixture of Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, and Stevie VanZandt which made the character very convincing. Other off screen characters, Dr. Galvin (Victor Jones), Luis (Matt Haynes), Dr. Malinowsky (Kenny Logsdon), and the others create a believable ensemble to support the story.

From a production (read producers) stand point Richard does an amazing job of my mantra Keep It Simple Stupid! Utilizing only one location, the interior of the hotel room, one on screen character, the Young Woman, and consistent framing and lighting allowed him to create a consistent, dark tone to the film. He resisted the urge many filmmakers would have taken to add outside scenes that would have actually taken away from his vision. The outside world is only ever seen briefly in small one or two second glimpses which add greatly to the sense of isolation the main character feels.

Over all "Room 0" is a very good film and does an excellent job of showcasing what can be accomplished in an Indie production on a micro budget. In my opinion a better film than much of what comes out of the "Hollywood/Studio" system.

Take the time to watch Room 0, I truly believe you will not be disappointed.

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.