Room 8

A prisoner is locked up in a Soviet prison, a grim setting from the start. Very good cinematography - the sense of claustrophobia is palpable. We're then offered a genre flip when the prisoner is tempted by another to touch a red wooden box.

Well, I won't give any spoilers away but you won't be disappointed!

This is a good solid and original short. The intrigue works well and builds to a good conclusion.

6/10

Despite having won the BAFTA a few days before I watched this, I tried to come to this film with an open mind, equally happy to find it be award-worthy or not to be but just to take it on its own terms. The plot sees a British prisoner in a Russian jail put into a cell with another British prisoner. In the cell he finds a red box which the other man warns him not to open. In the light of the BAFTA win I should also say that after seeing this film I read the only other user comment on this site I was really surprised that it seemed to suggest that this film was all about the CGI effects, and I must say I totally disagree.

To me the CGI support a nice concept which goes very quickly to a satisfyingly dark ending. The effects are good for sure, but they are never the whole deal and in fact never feel like more than a support to the idea. The delivery is nicely convincing and the fantastical nature of the box never gets away from the grim reality of the prison. The direction keeps it here while also proposing this idea in a way that makes sense but yet is not real. The performances from Cullen and Gould help keep it real and I liked the coldness of Gould in particular.

Whether or not it deserved to win the BAFTA I cannot say as I have not seen the other contenders, but for me it uses the effects well to support the concept that keeps us in the cell, with the characters and then delivers a dark and satisfying conclusion.

Room 8, a short film written and directed by James W. Griffiths, takes place in a Russian prison. British prisoner Ives (Tom Cullen) is taken to a new cell, where he meets the mysterious Shears (Michael Gould). In the cell, Ives finds a red box, which piques his interest. Unable to fight his curiosity, he opens the box, and is shocked at what he finds.

Watch the short to find out what's inside the box...

or an Arabian fairy tale about magic boxes and illusion price. impressive for story more than for CGI. seductive for atmosphere and for the desire who seems so normal. it is one of the most inspired films about essence of dictatorship. about freedom in Gulag. or about the clash against the dark reality. after its end remains the powerful feeling of fascination. the story is not exactly original. you know it from many mystery/fantastic stories . but the impression is the same. a box. red. and a lot of box of matches. that is all.

I would not class ROOM 8 as a short but more a sketch. On finding this film on Short of the Week I learnt that it was part of a competition in 2012 where five films were based on the same script by Geoffrey Fletcher himself. Of the five only two were interesting ROOM 8 and THE MRS. As THE MRS. has no IMDb page, I can only really comment on Room 8. As I said earlier, Room 8 is more of a sketch then it is a short film because it has no real story but a demonstration of how to achieve good CGI effects on a generous short film budget. (By the way, I am still puzzled where the budget was spent on THE MRS.) Where The Mrs. has a clear story with an imagined back story of two interesting characters; Room 8 does not invite us to invest any emotion in the characters or story. All the while we are led towards an awesome revelation; an awesome effect. And all the while I was asking but why is this happening? Why is the antagonist doing what he is doing? Once again based on pure production value, under so called short is paraded as being good but alas so called curators and decision makers are handicapping filmmakers and writers by celebrating the spectacle instead of celebrating the need for story. I am sure possible readers of this review and other reviews by me will say that I am expecting too much but my response to them is WHY NOT? If I am to give up 7 minutes or more to watch something, I would like for it to be awesome on the whole.