Sometimes , perhaps more frequently than I suggest , it helps that you go in to a film feature length or short knowing absolutely nothing about it whatsoever . I just read Bob's one line summary which was good enough for me and headed over to the short film website to watch THE EXIT ROOM . I never bother reading the write ups on the site since they subjectively praise the short no matter its qualities and often tend to read things in to that simply aren't there , which is the whole function of film criticism . After seeing the short I was somewhat surprised the write didn't name the source but that would have ruined the surprise at the end . I have seen the film adaptation of the story it's based on and instantly remembered it in the final scene of THE EXIT ROOM
This version gets off to an intriguing start . We're shown via a series of internet clips that America is waging a war - against itself and you're instantly reminded of Jihadists from Syria and Iraq . What is the cause of this conflict and the aims of the sides ? We're never told but you're grabbed by this scenario rather than frustrated which might have been a possibility . You also gets the impression there's an obvious comment being made on the war on terror . Apart from this there's not a massive amount of story but this is certainly deliberate because the story merely exists to set up the end . The longer the story goes on the more chance you have of feeling cheated when the ending is revealed . This is in effect an old story updated to a future scenario but one that is superiorly done
