Though just 21 minutes, Bryan W. Simon’s “The Second Room†challenges its viewers more than many full-length features do. Though its thought-out and carefully penned dialogue and noir elements may not appeal to all audiences, those who are looking for a short film with immense polish need to look no further.
Originally released in 1995, the film was released on DVD last week and is both a tribute to classic movie making as much as it is an appetizer for the work of the director, Bryan W. Simon.
Overall, those that appreciate film as an art will best enjoy “The Second Room.†Everything from the dialogue to the shot selection is drenched in effort and thought. Sounding like poetry, the words of Stanley [played by Richard Neil], much like the film, are thrillingly chaotic, yet simultaneously beautiful. You may unwillingly trust him as a narrator early on, but after a few minutes, that goes right out the window, producing a chilling look into the mind of a madman.
You know shortly after the start of the film that Stanley is spiraling out of control and needs to be stopped, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy each second of his utter lunacy.
Taking a page out of Edgar Allen Poe and a “Streetcar Named Desire,†but never stealing, Simon crafts an intelligent thriller that never disappoints. Much like the painting Moira [the beautiful woman Stanley has his eyes on throughout the film] is working on at one point, “The Second Room†is indeed something worth examining from multiple angles.
While the dialogue could be misconstrued as overbearing or convoluted by some, when you take into account that they do an excellent job of showing how lost the protagonist is, the ends more than justify the means.
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