Room 0 (2024) User Reviews

Not gourmet but worth sitting down for.

[liamshea-90403 · 5/10 · 23 March 2024]

Yes it's a one set, one actor sci-fi-ish film...but its not "brilliant" nor 10/10 worthy rating given, think one or two reviews were their pals. The God Father 1+2 are Brilliant 10/10 movies, Room 0... ah well... That said, of this style I've spent 140min on far worse. Writing was ok, and decent performance from young actor. The minimal fx here-n-there was appreciated...visual breaks help maintained engagement as can be easy to drift off staring at same scene for so long.... mmm...did I take out the garbage, or is that next Tuesday?

Final minutes not bad, minor groan... by this point we know teen charcter obviously isn't a navy seal so less blood would have sufficed to deliver final thoughts about - "coming home".

Shave off 30mins or so and I'd give solid 5/10 for this budget one set, groundhog looper sci-fi. Definitely some names here to keep an eye on. Nice job.

Microbudget scifi with momentum

[brainoiz · 9/10 · 23 March 2024]

Disclaimer: the director is an old friend and I received a screener, but I tried to write the most objective review possible.

Room 0 is the perfect example of how you do a microbudget indie science fiction movie. With its single lead character, one claustrophobic location, and a plot that takes advantage of the lack of resources and turns them into a framework for a twisting story, writer-director Richard Kodai managed not only to create a gripping story but even to increase momentum from scene to scene, so the movie never feels sluggish. Even though at its core Room 0 relies on a sci-fi trope that has been used in various movies and TV series, this take still feels fresh. Special mention to lead actress Remy Chartier who carries the entire movie on her own with a wide range of emotions. Even the voice actors have the necessary gravitas. I only have some minor gripes, like tiny sound issues or the lack of certain scenes that could have made some plot elements even more understandable, but these are all small issues, probably due to budget constraints. Much recommended!

Some direct feedback with high hopes for a sequel

[pyrolace · 6/10 · 10 April 2024]

Natalya Wood played the main character decently enough, although I felt like she could have been more relatable. Her raw emotions definitely portrayed a protagonist who struggles with the life choices she has made to date, but I expected to see her in a more chaotic state since she was so young and unfamiliar with the tech she was tasked with carrying.

Throughout the story, I was often left wondering how this young woman got involved with mobsters in the first place (was it the influence from her useless boyfriend, or was the mobster who hired her to steal it paying her sister's hospital bills?), and the film dragged on a bit when it came to some of the texting scenes and iterations of the loop. Although Frank's sinister nature was very believable when he began to describe how he tracked down the young woman's family, I sometimes struggled with the authenticity of the portrayal of some of the other people she spoke to over the phone.

Overall though, Room 0 has the potential to become the first of a series of films that continue to explore the real-world implications and consequences of missing the moments that matter most to us throughout the time we have as human beings on this Earth.

A Unique Vision on the "Time Loop" Story

[dmacmcdonald · 9/10 · 4 April 2024]

I have been looking forward to watching this film for sometime. I am a Filmmaker myself and I know many of the people involved with this production. While I am friends with them, I will endeavor to be honest in my review.

First, this is a "Micro Budget" film which by definition means the budget for it was from 1 thousand to 100 thousand dollars (more often the lower end of that range). The production value, and skill could easily have the audience believe it had a much bigger budget. I will also say up front that there a small details that could have been done better but, I also feel that I spot them because I am a filmmaker.

Room 0 is a unique take on the classic Sci-Fi Sub Genre of "Time Loop" stories. We are all familiar with "Groundhog's Day", "Edge of Tomorrow", and "The Butterfly Effect." Room 0 breaks new ground in this genre with the way it deals with the same event repeating over and over.

The story arc shows us a different way for the protagonist, a young actress named Natalya V. Wood and only credited as "Young Woman", turns in a very good performance as the person trapped in the loop.

The writer, Richard Kodai (also producer, director and editor) has crafted a nice, suspenseful story that will keep you guessing where it is going. Normally I can guess where a story will go, but Richard did a fine job of changing direction which makes this story unique.

The cinematography, Matthew Oistacher director of photography, production design, Richard, Natalya, and Synthia Roy, and sound design, Gordon Richards, Remy Chartier, and Richard, all combine very well to create a dark, imposing and bleak world in which this story takes place.

Richard makes excellent use of additional characters as "off screen" characters only heard on the phone. The antagonist "Big Frank" is a chilling "Mobster" type character voiced by Sean Collins. Collins voice had a mixture of Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, and Stevie VanZandt which made the character very convincing. Other off screen characters, Dr. Galvin (Victor Jones), Luis (Matt Haynes), Dr. Malinowsky (Kenny Logsdon), and the others create a believable ensemble to support the story.

From a production (read producers) stand point Richard does an amazing job of my mantra Keep It Simple Stupid! Utilizing only one location, the interior of the hotel room, one on screen character, the Young Woman, and consistent framing and lighting allowed him to create a consistent, dark tone to the film. He resisted the urge many filmmakers would have taken to add outside scenes that would have actually taken away from his vision. The outside world is only ever seen briefly in small one or two second glimpses which add greatly to the sense of isolation the main character feels.

Over all "Room 0" is a very good film and does an excellent job of showcasing what can be accomplished in an Indie production on a micro budget. In my opinion a better film than much of what comes out of the "Hollywood/Studio" system.

Take the time to watch Room 0, I truly believe you will not be disappointed.

Make do with what you have

[caples-27915 · 7/10 · 28 March 2024]

There are a lot of people in the world who want to be writers, actors, directors, etc. Independent films gives them a place to go and I always try to support them whenever possible. There was an interview I saw with Mr. Kodai and I believe he said he made this movie on a shoestring, like seven thousand dollars. Jeez Louise, considering how much everything costs these days he did a bang up job with this one. Good script, too. Now, on to something that bugged me. The actress is Natalya Wood, Remy is a guy. The woman did a great job and you guys should fix this. She acted her heart out and I think everyone on this project did it because it was a labor of love and a lot of fun, something you might not see anymore in the big production Hollywood films.

Brilliant indie feature

[RamanaMurthy · 10/10 · 22 March 2024]

Just watched Richard Kodai's brilliant indie feature #Room 0 on Amazon prime. With his excellent storytelling techniques he made the audience engaged with one location and with just one lead on camera supported only by voices of other cast members. The setting and actress are a perfect fit for this psychological thriller with sci-fi elements. Almost felt like watching a Stanley Kubrick film in the scene where the lead actress is being assisted on phone by a professor - played by Victor Jones - to break the loop.

Must watch for any indie movie fan. The right to criticize the bad mainstream films as consumer comes with a responsibility to not ignore the efforts made by indie artists making films with such professional competence to the craft and passion to bring original- deep - ideas to the conversation. These brilliant local - #duval - indie film makers like Richard will eventually make big splashes soon. I am going to watch this a few more times for sure. Highly recommend watching this film now available on prime, Apple TV and many more ott platforms.

One Room, One Character, Timeless Possibilities

[victoroo-dj · 8/10 · 29 March 2024]

Twilight Zone Grounghogs Day Black Mirror Cluastrophobic Mystery Thriller that pulls you in the Sympathetic Frustrations right along with the only lead Character on Screen who's only building actions are driven by timelapsed conversations with other characters you never see but cleary hear so you know within a few sentences but never quite sure why and what has or is happening. Every new answer spawns more questions. Time moves faster and faster towards an ending of many possibilities with little actual Information almost like reading a book where your mind fills in the rest with your imagination. This is liking to a one woman show but with no real monolouges, some nice visuals and sonic clues fill our the rest of the egnimatic journey.

One Room, One Actor, One awesome movie

[garrett-11077 · 10/10 · 20 March 2024]

Firstly, I must be honest in saying that I felt the "F" word was very unnecessary in numerous lines of the script. It took away, more than it added. Some of the sound effects were a tad corny. But the actress was absolutely tremendous. I was very impressed how she was able to make the audience feel every aspect of her emotions. She was believable and drew me into that room with her. I think more could've been done with the ending. I sure hope to see this actress in more films in the future. I will definitely be watching Room 0 again. There are a few things I missed during the first viewing that I would like to go back and put together in my brain. The producer/Director did a great job with the small budget he had to work with. I'm also anxious to see his future projects. The sci-fi concept was intriguing, original, and new.

Great movie

[pgarrett-14607 · 10/10 · 28 March 2024]

I've watched a lot of movies with limted budgets but this one was great The work and imagination that went into to this was great To film the whole movie in one room with basically one actress gave me doubts but after watching I realized that the plot was well thought out with action suspense and a little drama all wrapped into it the actress Natasha was amazing in her film debut I can't imagine the stress she must have felt to get this right but she nailed it If you have doubts I would encourage you to give it a try it's sure to surprise you It is a great movie and a great find for us Room 0 an amazing movie.

Room 0

[britainjack · 10/10 · 10 April 2024]

As a lover of independent films I never know what I'm going to get. Will it be a campy film or one that makes you think. Luckily Room 0 was the latter. It starts out with the young woman and a mysterious box. The box is explained in act 2.

The film used its budget wisely as the young woman was "trapped" in the motel room. This used the limitations as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The box was also used for transition between "days."

This film reminds me of Clerks in that they used what was available and wrote around it. When you don't have millions to work with, you have to be creative.

All in all this was a great movie and I'm looking forward to the director's future work.