ROOM 203

US, 2022, 104 minutes, Colour.

Francesca Xuereb, Viktoria Vinyarska, Eric Wiegand, Scott Gremillion.

Directed by Ben Jagger.

With such a title, the expectations of the sinister room. This one has a sinister hole in the wall, containing a necklace from the past, some bad smells, eruption of the hole… There is a prologue with some workmen doing some painting in the room, experiencing the deadly hole, girlfriend wearing the necklace and dying.

Which prepares us for the arrival of the two central characters. This is very much a focus on female characters, the men being more in the background. One is a college student, wanting to be a journalist, interest in psychology, bonding with her friend who is an aspiring actress, getting some auditions but not succeeding.

They rent the room, discover the hole and the necklace, also a mysterious music box. There are some eerie happenings – as well as sinister dreams and one of the women sleepwalking.

The caretaker of the building is also something of an odd and eerie character.

The room begins to exert more power, the actress sleepwalks, the student has nightmares – but befriends a young man of college who helps her in her investigations, especially about the room and the previous owners.

And this will build up to some horror aspects, confrontations with the caretaker and the revelation of his secret, and the two women being strong in overcoming all the adversity.

1. The title, the focus, expectations?
2. The prologue, the room, the painting, the painters, the hole in the wall, the finding of the necklace, giving it to the girlfriend, the consequences at her death? The murderous hole?
3. The American city, apartment blocks, rooms and corridors, basements? College, the campus? The musical score?
4. The introduction to Kim and Izzy? Her parents leaving Kim, her not wanting anything to do with them? Plans for college in journalism? Friendship with Izzy, Izzy wanting to be an actress? Their renting the room? The landlord, his manner, forbidding the basement? The delight, the view, the stained-glass window, settling in?
5. The outing, the restaurant, Steve and his advance, Kim’s reaction, Izzy punching him? (Assertive treatment of unwanted advances?)
6. Izzy, erratic behaviour, the auditions, sleepwalking, friendship with the producer, being let down, the consequences, her drinking? Yet the bond with Kim?
7. Kim, late for the orientation, meeting Eric, bonding, his explaining the orientation, their going out, help with the investigations, going to the apartment, the stained-glass windows, their impact, his research? Kim and her wanting to write about Izzy and her mother’s suicide, to help her, the discussions about anonymity with the professor? Izzy discovering the papers, upset?
8. The research, the music box, the necklace, the family, the newspaper articles, murder and suicide? The surviving son?
9. The realisation that the son was the caretaker? The death of Eric?
10. Kim, the confrontation with the caretaker, to the basement, his threats, fighting with him, Izzy and her rival, under the spell, the necklace? Getting rid of it, the death of the caretaker? The two surviving?