Director: Rodney Ascher
Starring: Bill Blackmore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner.
Running Time: 102 minutes
Certificate: 15
Extras: TBA
ROOM 237 showcases various conspiracy theories behind Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING. Bringing together a group of people who discuss their interpretations of the film the theories, unsurprisingly, range from fairly reasonable to slightly insane – but that is what makes the documentary compelling. Some of the theories that come out in the film include messages that show us Stanley Kubrick was involved with faking the Apollo space landing, to sexually explicit subliminal messages that can be seen throughout the film… yeah, it is that type of documentary. But worry not, for this is what makes ROOM 237 entertaining and really likable. Whilst it looks at conspiracies involving THE SHINING, it also celebrates how amazingly enthusiastic film fans can be.
The films structure might put off some people for we never see the contributors of the film, instead just clips of Kubrick films, so when the contributors talk, you could find yourself focusing on the footage instead of their views. And, as this is a group of Stanley Kubrick nerds coming together to talk about their theories of what THE SHINING was trying to portray, the contributors are very laid back too. There is even one point where a contributor has to stop talking because his son is shouting in the background, so if you have a problem with a lack of conventional film-making it might not be one for you.
Come the end of the documentary ROOM 237 really hits home. You start to wonder how many films you have seen where underlying themes went over your head, and because of this even if you are not a Kubrick fan, ROOM 237 offers something for conspiracy theorists and film buffs alike.
ROOM 237 is released on DVD and Blu-ray 1st April
