dmacmcdonald

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.