The Letter Room

The Letter Room is a nice little short about a corrections officer who gets transferred to the prison's prisoner communications department, and how he slowly finds himself involved in the prisoners' private conversations.

The movie felt a little too long, even for a 33-minute short film, but it doesn't mean there is nothing to enjoy here. It's a very easy going film, that doesn't expect too much of the audience, and as such, rewards you with a caring story of humanness in an unlikely place.

Check it out if you can!

Oscar Isaac truly carries the soul of this film. Thought provoking through the whole run, it compels you to look further into the mind of the protagonist. The character arc that the script set out is masterfully executed, and it's a joy to watch. The direction is another highlight of this piece. Subtle, but with clear intentionality. One truly feels like they're being asked to reflect, nothing is spoon-fed.

First of all, there's Oscar Isaac, and... isn't that enough for a review? What else am I going to say? "Hello, Cleveland!" No. This should suffice. That and his mustache. Maybe we should all just be thankful he wasn't cast as Superman a few years back.

Ok, a little more. This is largely driven by Isaac, a star-actor who has the charisma and of a Harrison Ford, being an inherently captivating presence who understands how to draw out behavior and a psychological depth and nuance through just a look or a series of furrowed brows next to that epic stache. But it's furthermore a fairly unique set up and pay off for a story set in prison, in particular death row, and how this officer gets drawn in to this one couple's melancholy and seemingly distressing circumstance is dramatic gold to me. It's always good for me if there's a story where you have a character learning about another without them knowing - voyeurism 101, yeah, of course - but through it being in letters and how the information is doled out alongside direction that means to express that aloneness and genuine want (or even need) to help someone is quite moving. And if you were somehow ever wondering, Alia Shawcat is a devastating dramatic performer and gives her all to a character in just two scenes.

This should get the Oscar (oh hey pun intended I guess?) Not even for the star power but because it combines all that cinema can do in a brief time to leave the greatest impact (White Tiger is a pretty close second IMO).

Greetings again from the darkness. Richard is a prison guard whose ambitions and progressive ideas have his sights set on a promotion off the daily grind of the cold corridors ... despite an amiable personality that has him as a likable guy amongst the prison workers and the prisoners. In fact, it's that friendliness that drives the warden (Eileen Galindo) to move Richard to the mail room. She presents this as a promotion by bestowing upon him the title of Director of Prisoner Communication.

Oscar Isaac plays Richard in this Oscar nominated short film written and directed by his real life wife, Elvira Lind (BOBBI JENE, 2017). Isaac gives a strong performance and makes Richard a relatable guy - one that seems cheery enough with co-workers, while then going home to watch TV with his dog after warming up leftovers. With a new job that entails scanning incoming and outgoing mail for threats and contraband, Richard is touched by the personal love letters received by Cris (Brian Petsos), one of the death row inmates. Richard is miffed as to why Cris never responds to Rosita (the always interesting Alia Shawkat) and takes it upon himself to find out more ... and yes, this is totally outside the scope of his job.

It may seem odd for a prison to generate warm emotions, but that's part of the brilliance of Ms. Lind's excellent script. In a world where we are currently struggling to find signs of compassion and common courtesy, we watch as this prison guard tries to make things a little better ... and on top of that, interjecting subtle moments of humor add even more of a human touch, while the attention to detail takes us even deeper. This is an excellent story, and in 33 minutes, this world - quite foreign to most of us - becomes something we understand. And it's achieved through the eyes of a lonely guy just trying to do the right thing.

A beautiful short based on the life of a lonesome, corrections officer whose duty is to scan through letters written to inmates from their loved ones. The background music in very different and interesting. The short maintains a comedic tone underlying, which makes it quite likeable. It's shot so beautifully. And Oscar Issac is like always, a treat to watch on screen.