Ah, The Killing Room. A film that makes you feel like you’ve gorged yourself on too many kanelbullar, leaving you marveling at the flavors and also a bit overwhelmed. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, this psychological thriller spins you around with its unsettling mixture of mystery and mind games.
You know, the eerie thing about The Killing Room is how it confines you without ever needing to physically tie you down. It’s like being stuck in a tiny kök with your entire extended family – you’re not really trapped, but also kinda are. The plot follows four strangers who participate in what they believe is a simple psychological study only to find themselves smack dab in the middle of a government experiment. Sounds like a normal dag on the Stockholm subway during rush hour, doesn’t it?
The cast, including Timothy Hutton and Chloë Sevigny, carries their roles with just the right amount of intensity, making you believe their every expression—timid fear, confusion, and at times, sheer madness. The way the camera captures their faces feels like the lens itself is an uninvited guest in their nightmare. A bit of a fly on the väggen situation there.
Speaking of expressions, I recall a time when I was cornered into playing a particularly cutthroat game of Monopol in my ungdom. The room started to feel an awful lot like the killing room—a psychological battle where friendships are tested. I got Park Lane and lost Norrmalmstorg. Same sense of picturing escape only from within four walls.
There are moments in the film that feel like they’re trying too hard to make you gasp, a bit melodramatic. But honestly, för the most part, the tension is real, and the film grips you in ways you didn’t think a low-budget thriller could. It raises questions about ethics and morality, but leaves you pondering without spoon-feeding answers—just like a good story should.
If you’re fascinated by how far humans can be pushed – both physically and mentally – then grab yourself a coffee, buckle in, and maybe close the windows, as The Killing Room is one headtrip.
