The Glass Room

The Affair. Let's start with the Title. It is misleading and confusing. To which affair does it refer? There could be several. Then there is the matter of too many English titled works with the same name. The Glass Room (Sklenený Pokoj) serves the story better as the center room of the house built for Viktor and Liesel serves as a unifier for the story. Yes, there is an affair, more than one to be sure, and one great love story which we the viewers would have loved to see more of, but in between the action becomes confused and shoppy. It is difficult to pick out the particular periods in time represented or how certain people transition. Hanna in particular seems to drift along doing whatever the script calls for without a lot of explanation. Perhaps if we were Czech we would know better, but I doubt it. One wants to like Liesel while she does her best avoid us. Viktor is almost an after thought though a stupidly reckless one at times. At the end of the day we continue to watch out of a desire for something good to happen and when it does we aren't quite sure if it was worth the wait.

I love period movies and this one doesn't disappoint. If you're distracted you'll lose track of the character's development.

The Glass Room (novel) is a fantastic story about a house. the people whose lives are connected to it, their relationships, and the transformations of the country it is in.

The Glass Room (Film) is a mess.

Everything that was great about the book is missing from the film. The characters are mere cardboard cut outs of those that grow and develop so wonderfully in the novel. No time is spent establishing any of them, nor their relationships.

The star of the novel, the house, is never shown in its glory in the film, only a few overly repeated angles that never let the house truly shine. And the many significant historical milestones are flipped from one to the other as if mere inconveniences.

Those who have not read the book must spend the first 30 minutes of the film in complete and utter confusion, barely having a clue who each person on screen is and what they mean to each other.

As such they will be frustrated. Likewise those who enjoyed the book, seeing its essence removed and only a watery reflection of it remaining. Those who watch based on the marketing, especially from the US where it goes by the thoroughly misleading title The Affair, who think they are watching a Lesbian love story will be frustrated for the most part.

A real shame that such an excellent story, cast and location are wasted on this terrible film.

I've not read the book it's based on, consequently I cannot assess the adaptation side of this story but regardless of that, I really loved the film. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music, minimalist, compliments the film beautifully. The two best friends have palpable chemistry and we root for them from their first scene together. Carice Van Houten is stunning and a real chameleon. She is so underrated.

It's a very beautifully crafted movie. I love the costume and cast. More to the message of the movie. Even in the darkest time, you can fine a light. Love wins.