Green Room.

by CB

Brutality.

The world was always filled with violence. From the earliest days of hunting, to the great wars of city-states, the human race always found reasons to use violence to solve their problems. In the modern world, the reasons became more nuanced and complex, but the result was still the same. And then the outbreak happened. The issues were no longer between nations. There was a single problem that became a global epidemic. One would think that would unite the world, but instead it shut down borders, turned people against one another and ended civilization as we knew it.

It only took a matter of weeks for the outbreak to collapse entire governments. What started as a few mysterious deaths, spread faster than any contagion in history, and it was far more deadly. Death was certain for those that caught it. However, there was a small percentage of the population that was immune to the virus. I think it goes without saying that I was one of those. As was my wife.

Browsing the archives last night, I came across one of the final films from a great acting talent, Anton Yelchin. He was one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, only to be taken from the world far too early. He was a diverse talent, bridging genres with extraordinary ease. My first introduction to him was in the J. J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, but he had already built up quite the filmography by that point. My favourite film of his was Like Crazy, the beautiful story of two people who fell deeply in love, only to be kept apart by distance. He had the unique ability to show the innocence of youth, with the wisdom of age. He was truly gifted, and his death at such a young age left a deep mark on me.

Green Room, written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, places Yelchin front and centre on the most violent stage of 2016. When his band witnesses a murder, they are held captive by the twisted owner of the club at which they were playing. As they plan to escape, the tides are turned on them and everything falls to pieces.

Simple premises can work. John Wick is a prime example of a film that takes a one line plot and fleshes it out into a 90 minute film full of style, interesting characters and stunning visuals. Where Green Room succeeds is in creating a palpable world. Green isn’t merely the title of the film, it represents the feeling that the viewer is imbued with. There is a sickly vibe presented throughout. The performances are realistic, but the characters are depraved. The lighting is purposely underexposed to put the audience in a state of unease. Everything is filled with a green hue to further instill the illness that has taken over those in the film, the sickness of savagery.

However, it fails in delivering a story with any purpose other than to celebrate the barbarism taking place. Exploitation and horror films make up an entire genre that glorify violence, but because of the realistic approach that Saulnier takes with Green Room, it feels gross as opposed to stylistic and beautiful. The characters are all one note, leaving the film without substance. I could not have cared less if the protagonists lived or died.

Much like Blue Ruin, Saulnier’s work was a hit with critics for the straightforward approach to storytelling and the intelligent behaviour of his characters. It does not, in my opinion, live up to his last film, for the protagonists arc in Blue Ruin was clearly defined and drew the viewer further into the story. We also sought revenge, therefore justifying the violence. The deaths in Green Room are not overly creative or stylized. It simply wasn’t enjoyable. Glorifying all of the worst aspects of humanity may appeal to a certain crowd, but I am not one of them. I appreciate the tone of the film, the texture that is created and even the technical aspects, but I could not get behind the story or the characters. Even in the tense moments, I found myself unable to care for the characters. Anton Yelchin was the exception in this case, bringing humanity to his character that the film sorely lacked. Also of note would be Sir Patrick Stewart, but he was underutilized to say the least. He is an intimidating presence as the antagonist, but he is practically forgotten amidst everything else that is taking place. Whereas those two help to bring weight to the proceedings, Imogen Poots fails to deliver a believable performance and downright irritated me for most of the film. Part of this can be put on the writing, but her shrill delivery was a lot to handle.

I feel like I’m being really hard on this film, but it certainly has its strong elements. As mentioned earlier, it builds atmosphere extremely well, but the direction should also be credited for its tight focus. The tension is severe and unrelenting, and thanks to Saulnier’s distance from his characters and willingness to see them harmed, it is wholly unpredictable. I personally can’t recommend the film because of the story being told and how it is delivered.

Many directors have created art out of the brutality of humanity. This one just misses the mark.

I think the final line of the film sums up my thoughts about it perfectly.

“Tell somebody who gives a shit.”

2.5 out of 5 stars.

CB