I remember briefly seeing some of the clips of Backrooms whether that be videos that the director, Kane Parsons, made for his YouTube channel or people playing one of the games. I saw the appeal, the YouTube shorts were perfect for grabbing peoples attention, and the games helped immerse people even more in this creepy setting.
Backrooms sees the manager of a furniture store discover a doorway in his shop to an endless maze of random vacant rooms, some rooms full of some of the most bizarre objects, but what else could be lurking in there.
With the recent success of Obsession, Backrooms felt very much like it could be riding the coattails of the box office success, and it certainly has with huge box office numbers which has taken Backrooms to be A24’s most successful film in the US, with a little way to go to be take that spot for worldwide.
Director, Kane Parsons had been producing his own Backrooms content for his YouTube channel earning himself over 100 million views and over 3 million subscribers. This is even more impressive when you consider that he was a teenager making most of this content, and even when he had earned himself the chance to direct this film, his first feature length film for a big, very well regarded studio, with 2 Oscar nominated actors. I think he does a really good job, particularly at the moments when you’re in the Backrooms, going from room to room and creating the weird dimension that the rooms exist in. They’re suitably creepy, and have you on edge wondering what the next room will bring.
Where the film really falls apart is in the script. Like Parsons, this is writer Will Soodik’s first feature film. Soodik has applied his few credits on TV shows, with credits on Homeland, Westworld, Borgia and Ash vs Evil Dead. I understand and see the narrative that Soodik tries to bring to the Backrooms lore, it just really doesn’t work. The strength of Parson’s YouTube videos is the creepy unknowing, by trying to force a story in to that you’re making it more complicated than it needs to be. The film even stops almost dead in it’s tracks for these long scenes between the characters that felt like it walks into the age old trap of show, don’t tell. I don’t think there’s anyone that knows this world more than Parsons, so I find it odd that he doesn’t have more of a writing credit, and whether that was the studio stepping in and not 100% trusting him. I would like to see him have that input on the sequel that has already been greenlit.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve are the only actors with a significant amount of screen time. Ejiofor particularly can feel clunky in some films like The Old Guard, Infinite and even feel like he phones it in. Especially when I compare those to his performance in this film, its genuinely one of the biggest strengths of the film as his unnerving, and engaging performances help you get locked in especially as he starts to navigate this maze of rooms.
Renate has become of the most interesting leading ladies in the industry having made a name for herself in The Worst Person in the World, before her first Oscar nomination this year for her performance in Sentimental Value and is one of the favourites to pick up another nomination later this year for Fjord. Her story for this film, doesn’t give her much of a chance to do a lot of acting, but in the small moments sh’s able to shine, and show what the film fails to make use of.
Overall, Backrooms ultimately feels like a disappointment and like a wasted idea. The film might have brief moments of strong on your edge moments, but they are brief, and everything in between drags and slows right down. I can see the potential for a good film in here, and hope Kane Parsons is allowed to let loose now he’s made a big hit for the sequel, but wonder if this property simply suits the short film medium more.
What did you think of Backrooms?
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