While I admire the rationale behind CHATROOM, a would-be thriller that looks at the dark side of Internet-age communication, I have to say that it just doesn't work as an emotionally satisfying film. The film grabs the topic of Internet chat – and all the bullying, perversion and peer group pressure that goes with it – and explores it in an unusual way. The participants are shown meeting up in physical rooms and speaking face to face. The idea behind this, I guess, is that showing them sitting quietly and endlessly typing back and forth would have been boring, but that method was used in at least a couple of successful documentaries I've seen (TALLHOTBLOND and CATFISH) so I don't necessarily buy it.
In any case, what follows is a psychological exploration of both the positive and negative sides of the experience. At first, speaking to fellow teens allows the participants freedom of expression and friendship, but that soon degenerates into violence. Sadly, there just isn't enough plot to sustain the hour and a half run time, so before long the pacing slows right down and we're left endlessly waiting for something to happen.
The script, which is based on a stage play, feels staged and slightly pretentious; I can see how it would have worked better given the physical constraints of the theatre, but that format feels artificial here. There's a whole self-conscious feel to the proceedings. It's a shame, because the bright young cast certainly give it their all: Aaron Johnson is absolutely fiendish in the central role, Imogen Poots is lovely, and both Hannah Murray and Daniel Kaluuya give oddly touching turns.
The real star, of course, is Hideo Nakata, weirdly imported in to direct a movie which he can't make any mark on whatsoever. A single, chilling scene of an Asian girl committing suicide on webcam is the only reminder that Nakata's a king in the J-horror genre.
In any case, what follows is a psychological exploration of both the positive and negative sides of the experience. At first, speaking to fellow teens allows the participants freedom of expression and friendship, but that soon degenerates into violence. Sadly, there just isn't enough plot to sustain the hour and a half run time, so before long the pacing slows right down and we're left endlessly waiting for something to happen.
The script, which is based on a stage play, feels staged and slightly pretentious; I can see how it would have worked better given the physical constraints of the theatre, but that format feels artificial here. There's a whole self-conscious feel to the proceedings. It's a shame, because the bright young cast certainly give it their all: Aaron Johnson is absolutely fiendish in the central role, Imogen Poots is lovely, and both Hannah Murray and Daniel Kaluuya give oddly touching turns.
The real star, of course, is Hideo Nakata, weirdly imported in to direct a movie which he can't make any mark on whatsoever. A single, chilling scene of an Asian girl committing suicide on webcam is the only reminder that Nakata's a king in the J-horror genre.