They’ve really nailed it with this simple trailer for ROOM 237, Rodney Ascher’s documentary about THE SHINING. A clear homage to the Stanley Kubrick horror classic, you must stick with it until the end.
The doc has been a festival hit, having played at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Fantastic Fest, and many others. If you’re looking for a conventional peek at the making of the movie, however, this isn’t necessarily the doc you’ll want to see. Read the synopsis to find out what’ really going on in ROOM 237:
After the box office failure of Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick decided to embark on a project that might have more commercial appeal. The Shining, Stephen King’s biggest critical and commercial success yet, seemed like a perfect vehicle. After an arduous production, Kubrick’s film received a wide release in the summer of 1980; the reviews were mixed, but the box office, after a slow start, eventually picked up. End of story? Hardly.
In the 30 years since the film’s release, a considerable cult of Shining devotees has emerged, fans who claim to have decoded the film’s secret messages addressing everything from the genocide of Native Americans to a range of government conspiracies. Rodney Ascher’s wry and provocative Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with cultists and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubrick’s still-controversial classic.
IFC will open ROOM 237 on March 29th.