Room 237 Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Room 237
Year: 2012
Director: Rodney Ascher
Country: US
Language: English

Throughout motion picture history, there have been many fascinating documentaries about film. Some, like Les Blank's Burden of Dreams, serve as companion pieces to the original movie (Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo) and greatly enhance the director's feature. Others, like Saul J. Turell's The Love Goddesses, journey into film history and make you heave a greater appreciation for the art as a whole. Room 237 strives to be a companion piece for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, as well as answer many questions about film theory.

The film is a subjective documentary that explores the numerous theories about the hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining (1980). The film may be over 30 years old, but like Victor Fleming's Wizard of OZ, it continues to inspire debate, speculation, and mystery.

I have seen Stanley Kubrick's The Shining many times by now, each viewing evokes a different reaction and a different train of thought. Though I am wary of Kubrick's genius, I have said many time that A Clockwork Orange is one of the worst films ever made, there is no doubt that The Shining is a work of genius. Room 237 celebrates that genius by exploring every detail and coming up with thematic conclusions that surprise and shock. One narrator claims that Kubrick's film is about the Holocaust, another about Indian genoicde and the list of theories go on. One great aspect of Room 237 is that it is a subjective documentary, meaning, unlike a Michael Moore film, it doesn't show bias towards one theory or another. People state their theories and show the many reasons why they think that particular way, each is given a fair amount of time.

Room 237 is a celebration of critical theory. Instead of being ridiculed by their beliefs, because some do seem to be very "out there", the narrators are seen in a positive light. It doesn't matter what your theory consists of, as long as you are "thinking" about the film. In some ways it analyzes the nature of the conspiracy theorist; poking and prodding at small details, until they come up with their own conclusion (aka the "real" story). Did Kubrick intentionally do A and B or was it a continuity error on his part? Then again Room 237 suggests that critical theory can look past the artist's intentions and interpret art for ourselves. Of course there are a few faults I find the film has. For one, it does not show every aspect of critical theory; we do not get the Marxist, feminist or queer interpretations of Kubrick's The Shining. Another fault is that many of the narrative voices are not different enough from each other; at times we do not understand who is talking and which theory they are discussing. The director could have done a better job and making each narrator and their theory more transparent. Ascher also could have discussed a few more scenes and characters from the film, such as the scary old naked lady, what the heck was that about?

In conclusion, for future film-goers it will be hard to see The Shining without its companion piece Room 237. I recommend watching Kubrick's movie first, coming up with your own interpretation, and then watching Room 237 to see the many other thoughts that exist. Ascher's documentary is very entertaining and thought provoking, it inspires and encourages the greatest levels of creativity. Praise it! 4/5