The crippled Alex (Pascal Duquenne) has Down syndrome and is stuck to a wheelchair since he was pushed by his sister Melinda (Caroline Veyt) and felt in the staircase of his house years ago. His dysfunctional family does not respect him and is composed by his violent father Max (Philippe Résimont), who is a frustrated composer unable to sell his compositions; his hysterical and submissive mother Marie (Françoise Mignon); and his younger brother John (Henri Luyckx) that abuses of him with his friend Benjamin (Maximilien Jouret-Maron). Only Melinda that is pregnant of an unknown man takes care of him, but she will leave Alex and her family sooner to raise her unborn baby alone. While having dinner together, a mysterious doors appears upstairs and Benjamin first followed by John vanishes after entering in the unexplainable room. Max and Marie find that they are trapped in the house and while having a conversation in the living room, deep secrets are disclosed.
"The Room" is a weird and theatrical low-budget movie, supported by an original non-linear screenplay that is confused in some moments with the flashbacks entwined with present situations and showing a surprising conclusion; good performances of Caroline Veyt, Françoise Mignon and Pascal Duquesne (I found Philippe Résimont histrionic and I did not like his performance); and wonderful and stylish cinematography and camera work. In the beginning, the camera introduces the location and the characters in only one continuous take. I believe most of the viewers have not understood that the door, the room and the vanishings are not physical but only the reality created by Alex in his mind, imagining to stay with his beloved sister and get rid off his despicable family. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Quarto" ("The Room")
