Room in Rome

When I first saw this in my local movie store, my first thought was "this is just going to be softcore." When I watched it, I was intrigued by it. I mean, yes, it is heavily sexual, but it feels like less of a adult film, and more of just an exploration of the human mind when going through sexual encounters. Overall, very, very good.

The film, first of all, has a superb music. Then it is filmed in a unique manner, intimate, full of intensity, the camera penetrates slowly into the core of the soul of the two female characters, two young women who fall in love with each other during a night in a hotel room in Rome. The two actresses, Elena Anaya and Natasha Yarovenko, shows not only their physical beauty, but a small part of the beauty of the human soul. It's a love story, very sensitive, it is not soft-porn. The most intense moment of the film is when Alba and Natacha are singing the Italian song "Volare" in the bathroom. Although all the action takes place only in that hotel room, the movie is not boring at all, can be seen with pleasure, and 2nd and 3rd time.

As I said in my title I am a gay guy and thought this movie was just beautiful ! So for all the people who said it was only for lesbians and straight guys - it's not. It goes back to the old adage that love is love no matter what.

It has a lovely atmosphere and being mainly filmed in a hotel room gave it a surrealism and a closeness and an intimacy. Constantly shadowy and the use of autumnal hues added to that.

The sex is warm and intimate and is perfectly in context and not over the top or voyeuristic.

So sit back and lose yourself in two women's discovery of their sensuality and getting to know more and more about one another till you develop an empathy for them.

Well written and beautifully acted, 7 out of 10

I Enjoyed this film immensely.

Habitación en Roma (2010) was released in the U.S. with the title Room in Rome. The film was written and directed by Julio Medem.

The movie stars Elena Anaya as Alba, a Spanish woman who meets a Russian woman, Natasha Yarovenko (Natasha) in a bar in Rome, and brings her back to her hotel room. The plot of the movie consists of the time the two women spend together overnight in the room.

It was hard for me to decide whether this film was soft core porn with a plot attached, or a serious work of art with lots of nudity. Elena Anaya is extremely beautiful, and Natasha Yarovenko is impossibly beautiful, so it would be hypocritical to complain about the nudity per se. However, for a review like this, it's important to help other people know what type of film they should expect when they walk into the theater or push "play" for the DVD. Arguments could be made for both points of view about whether this is a "serious" film.

Alba and Natasha do have some serious discussions, and what starts out as superficial banter becomes more soul-searching as the night progresses. Whether the two women are changed forever by the encounter is something each viewer will have to decide.

We saw this film at the Cinema Theatre as part of the first-rate ImageOut: Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The presenter mentioned that, given the almost complete lack of clothes worn by either actor, Room in Rome was the festival film least likely to be nominated for Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards. (True, but in this case, less is more.)

Two women, one Russian and one Spanish, on vacation in Rome meet up with each other and spend a romantic, sexual and truthful night in a hotel room.

These two actresses are gorgeous to look at and we get to see them full naked. Yippie right? Hold your horses, this isn't some kind of porno film, despite what you may think...or hope. Room in Rome is about finding something special and having to let it go. These two ladies find something special in each other, they share secrets, lies, laughter and love with each other, all in one night.

The entire film has these two ladies fully nude, their conversation is broken up by some random acts of sexual aggravation. The sex scenes aren't really erotic in anyway. The film to me was more of an homage to the beauty of the female body, since there is no plot what so ever. The film feels a little bit like Lost in Translation, if that took place in Rome, with two females, in one room and were always naked. So that's what you can expect from this movie.

The film is shot well and is gorgeous to look at. It helps that the two focal points of the film are beautiful ladies that look stunning and natural. Portions of the film are tedious and some people may doze off if they are expecting some kind of sex romp. I would steer clear of this one if that's what you are looking for.

Room in Rome is a film that I could have gone on with my life without seeing. I'm not particularly glad I saw it, it didn't have any kind of profound effect on me or leave me wanting any kind of resolution for the characters. It's simply a brief look into their lives, where they put everything on hold and enjoy the moment.

Room in Rome is about many things, finding yourself and exploration are key elements. One of the characters claims to be straight, yet throws herself onto the other many times. Sexual orientation is brought up many times in this film, but it's more keen on letting the viewer feel the essence of love between one person and another and not have the issue of gender really get in the way. The two leads were great and believable, bearing themselves completely. It shows trust in the film and the director.

This is a gorgeous film, but it has many problems. One being that it's extremely tedious. For those wanting more out of the story, I can tell you to look elsewhere. The story and plot here is thin as paper. At times it feels like it's going nowhere. Hell, I don't even think it started anywhere. I can say to myself that I will never watch it again, or feel the need to. Maybe the film isn't my cup of tea. I can see where the filmmaker wanted to go and I truly believe he accomplished it, but not all accomplishments are great.