What’s on the Menu?
The Exit Room is a film written and directed by Todd Wisemen (Improv Island, Manifesto). It stars Christopher Abbott (Martha Marcy May Marlene, All That I Am) as Joseph Michaels, a journalist facing execution in a futuristic America.
The film comes with stunning visuals that will make your mouth water. You can tell that Wisemen took his time on the presentation of this dish. His opening scenes are strikingly lit and filmed with precision. The end credits acknowledge being influenced by a short story called “An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. If you’re interested, check this out. Lick your lips because that’s not all.
Appetizer – Visuals & Sounds
The film whets your appetite with appealing visuals. In one of the opening scenes, Michaels is dragged by two men through a dark corridor. He is kicking and yelling in resistance as he approaches the white light through the double doors in front of him. There are other examples of the great camerawork throughout, but this scene is reflective of a ghost. No ears hear his pleas and no eyes see him as human. No inalienable rights or common decency is given to him; these men drag him as if he were a living corpse.
Let’s not forget the music that enters this very scene. It’s ominous: it gets higher and higher in volume increasing the anxiety felt. The loud bang of the double doors bursting open signifies the end of one journey and the start of another.
All of it is delicious. I hope you’re ready for the main course.
Entrée – The Juicy Details
One of the juiciest pieces of this meal is in the setup. As I said before, it’s a futuristic America. The film gets this across by introducing videos of a world at war. Using its own version of YouTube, complete with a thumbs up ranking, you get images usually seen on the dark side of the internet. Graphic images of people going through intense pain, militiamen bragging about their guns, and women and children huddling together in fear. You know, the stuff we usually see in countries other than America. It’s like what TV was/is for many people – a window into other worlds, but still far enough away that you don’t have a visceral connection. Additionally, if it’s too serious for you, type “cute cats” in the search bar. It’s a mirror of the current American way.
Before I go on, I want to give proper respect for Christopher Abbott‘s portrayal in this film. Almost everything about this short is intense and no small amount of that comes from his performance. His story is that of a Gitmo detainee. He has done nothing wrong and is being punished for it. The fear and anger is in his eyes and movements. I recall his lucky break moment when he is about to face execution. He breaks free and mercilessly ends a guard’s life. The fear is still in his eyes upon a closeup of his face. As the story continues, he moves toward his goal and you really believe his character is a man with purpose based on the speed and ferocity of his running.
Usually, a person may do a run-down of the basic elements and grade them individually, but the flavors here work in unison. Sound, lighting, camera angles, and props work together to make the film feel like a professional blockbuster. I mentioned this a little in the beginning but let’s go a bit more in depth.
In the execution area, they use cattle guns as the method of execution. This is, of course, obvious symbolism for the prisoners. The sound of the gun firing is the sound of death. It has prominence in the scene as the loudest sound on screen, drowning out the cries and screams of everything else. Lighting is dim but perfect for the dreary mood set off by death. A closeup of Michaels is interchanged with a medium shot of a distressed woman throwing up. All of it adds up to a terrifying interpretation of future America.
Dessert – Flaws in the Film
While the film has many positives, there are some things that bother me. When Abbott‘s character escapes the execution room, he shoots the guard with the cattle gun. There is no blood on him in the following shot. When he leaves through the escape hatch, he is suddenly covered in corpse gravy. It seems like an editing error but…it doesn’t necessarily break continuity.
That scene leads me to the next red flag. Michaels stumbles upon clothing right after he escapes the building; it’s just a bit too convenient that they are right outside waiting for him. Again, it does not break continuity.
Great; now I feel guilty just like having real dessert.
Check, please.
The Exit Room is a great short film and I look forward to future work by Todd Wisemen and Christopher Abbott. Overall, it was truly a pleasure to savor. From a 1-3 scale of 1-School cafeteria, 2-Fast food joint, and 3-Fancy schmancy restaurant I can’t afford, I am looking for loose change to finish off the bill.
Hey, it looks like I forgot a tip. Want to add your two cents in?
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