The Letter Room

A touching film about duty, empathy, loneliness and good gestures. And beautiful work of Oscar Isaac in a role demanding real skils to explore a minimalistic story about letters, death, old men expecting news, a presumed suicide situation and the state of a death condamned man.

Each detail sounds just inspired.

The message is not only generous, old fashion one , well crafted but profound useful, being, in essence, precious warning, seeming a parable about options and job, generosity and courage to become useful to the other as giver of unique help.

A beautiful short based on the life of a lonesome, corrections officer whose duty is to scan through letters written to inmates from their loved ones. The background music in very different and interesting. The short maintains a comedic tone underlying, which makes it quite likeable. It's shot so beautifully. And Oscar Issac is like always, a treat to watch on screen.

First of all, there's Oscar Isaac, and... isn't that enough for a review? What else am I going to say? "Hello, Cleveland!" No. This should suffice. That and his mustache. Maybe we should all just be thankful he wasn't cast as Superman a few years back.

Ok, a little more. This is largely driven by Isaac, a star-actor who has the charisma and of a Harrison Ford, being an inherently captivating presence who understands how to draw out behavior and a psychological depth and nuance through just a look or a series of furrowed brows next to that epic stache. But it's furthermore a fairly unique set up and pay off for a story set in prison, in particular death row, and how this officer gets drawn in to this one couple's melancholy and seemingly distressing circumstance is dramatic gold to me. It's always good for me if there's a story where you have a character learning about another without them knowing - voyeurism 101, yeah, of course - but through it being in letters and how the information is doled out alongside direction that means to express that aloneness and genuine want (or even need) to help someone is quite moving. And if you were somehow ever wondering, Alia Shawcat is a devastating dramatic performer and gives her all to a character in just two scenes.

This should get the Oscar (oh hey pun intended I guess?) Not even for the star power but because it combines all that cinema can do in a brief time to leave the greatest impact (White Tiger is a pretty close second IMO).

Certainly worth watching. It's another example which points out you never what another person is going through. Makes you want to believe that people are good. Watch it - you will enjoy it.

The Letter Room, Oscar nominee for best live-action short film, is so beautiful and deep with some dark comedy. The plot is interesting and provoking in a way that makes you don't want the film to end. Oscar Isaac is brilliant. The original score is amazing.