Breathing Room

Tonya (Ailsa Marshall) is dumped naked into a room with thirteen strangers. She is player fourteen in a sadistic game where only the survivors win. With each player given clues and tools to survive, who will be left? And who is behind this? Not everyone tells the truth, so can the players trust each other to keep themselves civil? You're going to see review after review comparing this film to "Saw", and some comparing it to "Battle Royale"... still others referencing lesser known films. And, it's true, there's a "Saw" vibe here and a "Battle Royale" vibe... but don't let that dissuade you. There is nothing new about survival horror and it won't go away any time soon. And, if done correctly, that's not a bad thing.

I've also seen certain comments concerning the low budget and overabundance of white light. I don't deny these aspects, but in complete honesty they didn't bother me one bit. As long as your film has an interesting story -- and this one does -- and isn't a complete shambles, you have me hook, line and sinker. My only issue with this film was that I had a very strong suspicion of the ending from the very beginning. I was even more convinced after a big clue was dropped in the interview scene.

Fans of "Saw" will like this, as will people who like puzzles, so long as they keep an open mind and don't judge it strictly on its low budget and similarities to other films. I was thoroughly engaged by the interesting characters, destruction of film stereotypes, and ultimately the very clever writing inherent in the picture. Allegedly this film was thrown together roughly overnight, but it doesn't show.

I generally like movies where a group of strangers are isolated and pitted against each other because they offer a portrayal of Darwinism at work. I like the mystery of it. Who has what it takes to survive and to what lengths are they willing to go to make it happen. This could have been interesting even though it's not an original concept. What ruined it for me was the end of the film, because the audience is deprived of any explanation about the point of it all. Why did all this just happen? Was there a purpose? What the heck was the purpose? I have no idea. I would advise skipping this one unless you literally have nothing better to do with your time.

Early on in the movie we learn that there are a bunch of people kidnapped and locked in a room. The 'host' is playing a 'game' with them, and it's the 'contestants' job to figure out whats going on. This movie kind of reminded me of the movie Saw(alone with its sequels). The problem is that the Saw movies teach a lesson in a way because if the individual is smart enough/deserves/wants to live, then they end up living. This isn't really like that. Although the contestants really did nothing wrong, only 1, at most, will survive. The contestants don't really stand a chance from the beginning.

The suspense was fairly good - which is the main reason i gave it a 5. Its not a film you'll fall asleep while watching and certainly interesting to watch. Acting was alright. However a big problem was the ending. The ending was not something I predicted, however, it made me feel unfulfilled and shows the stupidity of this 'game'. There was also not much of a climax - it always felt like they were building to something. It felt like they should have had a bigger climax before the ending. And then the ending comes, and it wasn't that shocking.

Overall, good concept, early and middle parts of the movie were good, but the ending was weak. 5/10

cheap, cheaper, no exit... sorry, but total waste of time, just at the beginning i was thinking to turn it off, but because of some good reviews and the prices the film get i think, give it a chance....FAIL actors are bad, effects are bad, everything in this film is bad. a good idea which in this case are not new, don't make a good film. a poor image is always not a good sign for a film BUT it don't have always to be that way, sometimes a great idea and good actors and a good producer can make a great film with not much putting in it, but this is not such case....terrible film.

switch it, better for you

greetings from cologne, Germany

The film begins with a naked woman entering a room of strangers with in a warehouse type of setting. The strangers approach her and begin asking questions about who she is and what does she know about why she is here and what it's all about. The rest of the film involves learning about each other and little more about the "puzzle" of why they are here.

The premise is that there is game being played with the characters' lives. There are rules. If you break the rules, you die.

The plot is simple, but the interactions of the "players" is what keeps it interesting. Each "player" is unique and may or may not have something to hide.

I found the story interesting, but contrived. Some of the characters were a bit over-the-top for my taste, but most of them conveyed the fear, anger, and despair quite convincingly. The end of the film was a disappointment to me for reasons I won't divulge here.

I credit the producers for developing a good character study with very little investment. Good cinema doesn't always have to cost millions.

If you like a bare bones type production about human behavior in stressful conditions, then I recommend this to you.