Man in Room 301 (2019) User Reviews

A solid drama from Finland

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 3 March 2021]

This Finnish drama is set in two time periods; 2007 and 2019; the events in the former coming back to effect those in the later. In 2007 the Kurtii family have assembled to celebrate midsummer in a woodland area. Tommi, a young boy wanders off into the woods. Here troubled teen Elias Leppo is shooting a rifle. The next thing we know Tommi is dead; while it is strongly implied that certain things happened nothing is initially shown. In 2019 the family is planning to meet up again, this time in Greece. Shortly before they go Tommi's father and grandfather, who know what happened in 2007, receive letters implying a threat to Tommi's sisters and his twelve year old cousin, Kalle. The grandfather becomes convinced that 'Leo', the man staying in Room 301, is in fact Elias; a fear that is compounded when the man takes an interest in Kalle. As each timeline is shown we gradually learn the truth about what happened in 2007 and what is about to happen in 2019.

I rather enjoyed this short drama series. It was clear from early on that there would be many twists and turns and that certain things we assumed didn't happen quite as we thought... I deliberately wrote my precis after only four episodes to avoid accidental spoilers! The story moves at a good pace and there are plenty of tense moments including the heart-wrenching scenes where we finally see what happened to Tommi in 2007. The cast does a solid job and the locations, in Finland and Greece contrast nicely. Overall I'd recommend this to those who enjoy plenty of twists in their drama; just don't expect 'Scandi-Noir'.

These comments are based on watching the series in Finnish with English subtitles.

Wanted to like it more

[HlenSki · 6/10 · 4 January 2020]

Unfortunately for me this show delivered characters that seemed to have very little emotion or energy. After watching all the episodes I actually read somewhere, that the script was British and that it was modified to better suit "the Finnish way of communication and self expression" which was considered to be more low-key. I cannot see why this would have been necessary, and cannot be happy with the result. They could have left a pulse at least...

There are some great supporting roles and actors such as Elias Gould and Elias Salonen, who bring the show to life. I was more interested in them, than in the "main family". The story itself is great, I liked the game with timelines and it did kind of pick up towards the end.

No Surprise But Watchable

[silvio-mitsubishi · 7/10 · 1 March 2021]

Partly created by Briton Kate (Shaun of The Dead) Ashfield but transferred to Finland, a twisty piece of fluff. Twelve years after a child is killed, the extended family are targeted by someone they believe to be the person held responsible. Half the series drip-feeds the history, the other half covers the repercussions. There are storytelling absurdities - a young couple who think it is acceptable to take a child from a hotel without seeking permission from the parents - but suspension of disbelief leads to a fun story. After the first two episodes I sought out the other four via on-demand services rather than wait.

Perhaps the series is unfairly lumped in with Scandi-noir, which it is not. The story is basic and allows us to stay a step ahead of the plotting at all times. The ending should be a surprise to nobody but it is still fun getting there. Only the most inexperienced watcher will be caught out by the twists, and I found myself adding others that weren't there, but the innocent characters are likeable and we want them to survive. Even the final resolution is largely satisfactory.

The show is not going to change the world but it helps pass the time and should offend nobody.

Simple production with no real surprises

[laduqesa · 6/10 · 31 March 2021]

I have to admit I nearly gave up after the first episode. The constant toing and froing between now and back then was wearying and confusing. I stuck with it and by the end of episode two, things had started coming together.

I think this production suffers when compared to some of the other excellent stuff that has recently come out of Finland. It's nowhere near on the level of Sorjonen or All The Sins. Nonetheless, it's a competent, if predictable drama that entertains in a series of six manageable-length segments.

The plot twists and revelations are obvious a mile off. We know that the original accident cannot be as was alleged because we are not shown it in its entirety. It's also pretty obvious that the least likely person is going to be the baddie. And that the original plotters are going to get their just desserts.

There are gigantic plot holes, unfortunately. It's unlikely to the point of impossibility that any Finn (or even any Western European) would waltz off with someone else's kid, on one occasion taking him to another island, without parental consent which was not even sought. There were also dichotomies in some of the characters' personalities that made them act in ways that were not consistent with their previous motivations. I can't believe how superficial the police investigation was either nor how forensics, which were mentioned, didn't manage to drill down further to the truth.

I didn't binge watch. I took it at a pace of two episodes a day and that was quite enough. I was perfectly happy to have watched this for what it was which is an easy bit of confectionary to while away some empty afternoons (we are still locked down here).

Rediculous casting of the older Elias

[chris-knightley · 6/10 · 14 March 2021]

Elias is ginger when he's 12 and becomes brown when he's 20+. This rediculous casting makes a mockery of the storyline. In addition the plot is very sloooow.

Over-elaborate

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

A member of a troubled family accidentally shoots his own son (or so he thinks - actually another family member is the father) and blames it on a semi-feral kid. Some years later, three of the family's younger generation are separately threatened by strange young men - is one of them the wrongly-accused, now looking for revenge? To put it mildly, it's a contrived set up, and moreover a large part of the drama, and even its title, prove to be pure distraction, as several of the family go on holiday and get scared by the man in room 301, who turns out to have nothing whatsoever to do with the crime. I watched this mostly without emotion, it might have worked better had it been told from a single perspective, but as it is, 'Man in Room 301' never really transcends its elaborate construction.

I was SO into this until...,

[gequackenbush · 7/10 · 15 May 2021]

I Realized the dark-haired boy was a grown-up red haired boy with none of the same facial features or build or walk of the sullen creepy kid. Why oh why did they do that? And he would not have been able to rid himself of that terrible experience or the kind of background and family he came from. Sure, and now he's some dashing well-spoken not sullen grownup version of a creepy kid. It would have been been so much better and I hate that I wasted time watching all five episodes I couldn't even watch 6 it was such a stupid turn to a great setup.

I don't agree with all of the other reviews this Finnish Cast and story and emotions I would expect of that part of the world. But I thank them for alerting me to this stupid premises. Geezh!

Red herring city

[andysbar · 8/10 · 1 March 2021]

Even the title is a red herring.but forgivable as this is a well constructed thriller .perhaps it takes you down to many misleading avenues .but it is never less than absorbing.

Flawed but captivating

[alexfalconer-11900 · 7/10 · 22 April 2021]

Most of the boys and men in this drama are either guilty of some misdeed, or appear to be guilty of one. The script shows those who are actually guilty, but for the rest doubt about their virtue is sown by close shots of faces that look worried, guilt-ridden, or mischievously gleeful. The exception is the second husband of the woman whose son was killed. He's a model man: caring, considerate, and gently persistent. The technique of casting doubt on multiple characters is clever but transparent; we sense that it is being done for our sake alone, and it doesn't add to the story.

There's an obvious class conflict in this drama, between the wealthy family who lie to protect themselves, and the poor family who fail to protect their son. That divide is bridged in the end, through the unity of two of the children (one from each family). It's also a story about the sins of the fathers being visited upon the sons (and daughters). And how when long-kept secrets escape, they can do so with destructive force.

Wasted potential

[Sara_Tor · 4/10 · 1 May 2021]

Wasted potential. Starts off strong and I was intrigued by the family secrets. But...This show was so frustrating to watch and the ending made no sense. Multiple creepy young men creep around, but no one ever seems to be creeped out until it's too late. I yelled "ASK WHY?!?!" at the screen many times. No one seems to want to know why anyone does inexplicable creepy things.

Pretty good... Nordic noir with a twist and great performances

[pantolik-spam · 8/10 · 10 December 2021]

I really liked this series. I can understand the people who felt lukewarm about it - it has its fair share of contrivances and slightly unbelievable plot twists. But what made it for me were the performances - mostly 10/10 imo - and the way it didn't overreach into the backgrounds of the families to try and explain why they were so dysfunctional. I thought the direction was good and the storyline just about plausible. And the ending was satisfying - obviously very contrived, but the key message that the sins of the fathers do not necessarily have to be visited on the generations that follow left me feeling a bit more upbeat about life, especially after being in Covid isolation for a few days :)

Compared to several other Finnish crime series, just mediocre

[BeneCumb · 6/10 · 14 March 2022]

Usually, the Nordic nations are masters of thrill and suspense, with static meaning not boring, but here, in spite of a promising starting point, it becomes protracted soon, with too heavy dominance of burden and oppression. Perhaps the number of episodes could have been less (4, for instance), some confusing twists added, and the round-up less sophisticated. The characters and performances not too elaborate either...

Finland has produced several interesting crimes series, e.g. Sorjonen or Karppi. Alas, Huone 301 is long behind of them.

No respect for intelligence of the audience.

[crumpytv · 5/10 · 18 March 2021]

The casting was all wrong. The audience were drawn into a "who is it" rather than a "who dunnit" plot and the production cheated. Leo (confusingly played by Elias Gould) - was an obvious choice to play the older Elias Leppo. He would have been very believable and had the right colour hair. In the end it proved that Elias Leppo was played by somebody who looked nothing like the younger version of himself and even had the wrong hair colouring. Ginger hair does not turn into black!!! Add in the holes in the plot and the end was all rather disappointing after a promising start. Even the title was misleading.

6 for 301

[iwalrus · 6/10 · 22 February 2022]

There were quite a few holes in the storyline but an interesting concept.

The acting was mostly good.

A whodunit that keeps you guessing for a while but becomes obvious before too long.

Good watch

[mb-33087 · 8/10 · 19 March 2021]

Makes a real change from the other dramas that are so predictable. This is a slow burner that will come to light, stay close and pay attention. Couple of nice twists, low key 'à la Finland' but eventually wooosh it comes together nicely.

Hard to Care

[wheatley-20230 · 3/10 · 3 March 2021]

I found most of the characters dislikeable, which made it hard to care what happened to them. Given that the premise is intended to present the possibility of danger to those characters this was a pretty big obstacle to enjoying this series. Gave up after episode 2.

A rewarding watch ... but dishonesty marks have to be deducted

[BaronVonKolisch · 8/10 · 13 May 2021]

Almost a very excellent drama. The plot, writing and acting is absolutely on point, but unfortunately, the production team take too many liberties along the way. The way that the infant died was, statistically, highly improbable, but worst of all was the shameless way in which terrible casting was used to dupe the audience. Not cool and not necessary. - 7.7/10.

Why is everyone so creepy

[gallagherkellie · 5/10 · 5 June 2021]

All 3 of the possible Elias's were weird and creepy for no reason. Like why would Leo take the boy climbing a second time after he knows the family don't want him to and are being aggressive towards him? And why wouldn't he just prove to them he's not who they think he is instead of continuing to act strange.

I also want to know who found the 40,000 at the hotel resort after Leo threw it.

Why was Ellu so weird with the daughter?

Why did the other daughter keep her boyfriend a secret from everyone, even her sister? No one seemed to care that she had a boyfriend when it came out so that was pointless.

The entire thing could have been completely ok if Seppo had told the truth from the beginning. It was an accident, and it still was Elias's fault! He brought the gun. He aimed it at the child. Why do people feel bad for what happened to him afterwards when he was putting a child at risk like that in the first place?!

Anyway even though all these silly things I still found it entertaining enough to watch it through to the end.

Solid "whodunnit" from Finland

[alexsavander · 8/10 · 2 December 2023]

You rarely come across good "whodunnit" movies, especially from Finland. But this one keeps you immersed from beginning to end throughout the series. But only with a few holes in the plot.

There is alot of positive things to say about it and a few less positive things. The positive side is absolutely the dialogue. Really solid one once again, coming from Finland where alot of dialogues rarely feels authentic, this is one in combination with the great cast gives you a insight in the dark sides of peoples minds, dark secrets and how prejudice affects peoples lives.

The less positive sides are the highly unprobable crescendo of how the series plays out. It works if you don't let your imagination set limits for how things actually COULD turn out. But otherwise you'll easily enjoy the actually good plot twist of the whole series.

Lack of character context in a few cases are also maybe something worth to mention. Why some characters would say, do, act or be they way the do/are. But hey...nothing is perfect!

Really good cinematography that brings out the mystery, feeling and the realness of the whole situation!

Nordic Nonsense From Start To Finish

[martimusross · 4/10 · 29 March 2021]

Man in Room 301

This drama had just one to many prepositions for it to work.

What really didn't work

The constant flitting backwards and forwards in time, so tiresome.

Everyone had issues, is no one ever happy or humdrum normal in Finland.

Just asking Elios's employer for a photograph or finding one in the internet would have halted any confusion in its tracks.

There was no reason for one sister to lie to the other she had a boyfriend.

If I had been to a family dinner and everyone was at each other's throats I wouldn't go again, I certainly wouldn't go on holiday with them.

Something was seemingly wrong in being part of the bourgeoise and this played out in daily guilt for any person in that predicament.

The consumption of alcohol had always a negative connotation.

A bizarre accident is insufficient narrative drive or motivation, and then to conceal this accident resulting in an innocent being prosecuted is quite frankly absurd.

Elias was being interviewed by the police about was happened and yet we never heard what happened, this was quite ridiculous, at the very least there would be a written statement.

We had no less than four repetitive scenes where adults were searching for children, what a total lack of imagination!

The denouement was equally absurd but I shan't ruin it if you decide to watch this rubbish.

On the whole this was derivative, predictable and far fetched with gaping plot holes that could never be resolved. The acting was pedestrian and the styling unimaginative. The BBC really must take more care in selecting only the "cream" of Nordic Noir!

At best a mediocre 4 out of 10.

Entertaining Crime Mistery Series from Finland 🇫🇮

[jnotter · 9/10 · 30 September 2021]

Actually a very entertaining crime mini series from Finland. Using influences from Horror and Mistery flics. Great acted and even though foreseeable after episode 3, still interesting and humorous caretking.

Trying hard to watch it !!

[kagey-28769 · 5/10 · 6 March 2021]

We've now got used to these thrillers dramas etc . I looked forward to this one , my biggest problem is the way they've put it together , jumping to different years so if you look away for a second suddenly you find it's leapt back or forward to a random year it seems !! Otherwise it's pretty enjoyable but it does need your full concentration