FilmMovie ReviewsShort FilmShort Film Review – Room 8 (2013)

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

NR | 7min | Short, Drama | 24 Apr 2013 (UK) | Short

Metacritic:

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77% Fresh (Audience)

Director: James W. Griffiths

Writer: James W. Griffiths Geoffrey Fletcher

Stars: Tom Cullen, Michael Gould, Yuri Klimov

Movie Tagline:

IMDb summary: A prisoner discovers a magical box with a baneful secret that he falls foul to.

If you dangle a carrot in front of a rabbit, what happens? It’s the same principle here – the other inmate in Room 8 was playing with everyone that came into his little web of deceit. Give them something to be curious about, tell them they can’t have it or can’t open the box, sure enough… their curiosity takes over, and it always does.

This seven minute short film packs a punch in only a few minutes, but they’re glorious minutes. One inmate owns a box that nobody should open. He entices the new inmates by telling them they shouldn’t open the box because they’ll “regret it”. And the inmate dangles that carrot in front of the hungry inmate.

A powerful blend of drama, fantasy and thriller, it’s easy to see why this short film won two BAFTAs in 2014. The film begins within a Russian prison and focuses on two inmates. One of these inmates is being delivered into a new cell – Room 8. His fellow inmate doesn’t seem too happy to see him and doesn’t seem friendly. But then the dynamic between the two changes as the new guy pushes his weight around a little. Our non-friendly inmate responds with a challenge when he asks what’s in the red box sitting on the bed. The next few minutes will most likely astound you as they did me – you don’t expect what happens next, which is why this film is so entertaining.

Check out this short film – it’s only seven minutes, but it’s a great seven minutes.

You can see the BAFTA award-winning short here:

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