Directed by:
Hideo NakataScreenplay:
Enda WalshCinematography:
Benoît DelhommeComposer:
Kenji KawaiCast:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Imogen Poots, Matthew Beard, Hannah Murray, Daniel Kaluuya, Megan Dodds, Michelle Fairley, Jacob Anderson, Tuppence Middleton (more)Plots(1)
In an online world, who's controlling who? Puppet master? Victim? Which will you be? When strangers Jim (Matthew Beard), Eva (Imogen Poots), Emily (Hannah Murray) and Mo meet William (Aaron Johnson) online in his chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character. But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth. William is a dangerous loner, channeling all his energies into cyberspace. He's become an analyser, a calculating manipulator who finds it almost impossible to interact normally with others in the real world, instead turning his hand to manipulating people online. When the timid Jim opens up to William, it sparks a fascination that quickly turns into a dark downward spiral, with the twisted antagonist coercing the rest of the group to become pawns in his deadly game. As the cat-and-mouse situation escalates to devastating heights, can William's anti-social networking be brought to an end? (Revolver Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (1)
Chatroom is an excellent film about the vast and monstrous power of the internet. However, I would be cautious with classifying it in the horror genre :); it’s more appropriately categorized as a psychological drama with thriller elements. I don't know how to put it exactly, but the overall experience and the final (actually quite continuous:)) gesture of approval is perhaps not so much directed toward the script (whose sophistication and excellent gradation – and not least the idea itself, which is excellent – I cannot deny) or the direction (which I have no reservations about), but rather the applicability to real life, the alarming state of dependence on the internet afflicting the young generation, which is gradually losing awareness of the normal world and confiding its most intimate feelings to imaginary friends. It is true that the characters in this film are perhaps overly naive, gullible, and easily manipulated, which can be justified by their young age, their lack of life experience, or the fact that a chat room is the ideal means for them to escape from the "mean world that doesn't understand them". Therefore, they consider their virtual life untouchable at the moment and trust it (them) implicitly. Yes, I know I'm not coming up with anything new:)), but everyone knows that there are perverts, antisocials, and maybe even a much worse bunch on the internet. Rather, I would like to point out that this film shows in great detail how far this initially innocent and casual chatting can go. With its testimonial value (moral resonance, message) and the great Aaron Johnson, it's easily suffices for about 80%.
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Gallery (22)
Photo © Ruby Films
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