From the distributor that brought you Sator & Disappearance at Clifton Hill, Lightbulb Film Distribution has brought us a new claustrophobic thriller, The Oak Room, which is coming to Digital Download from April 26.
The Oak Room is a sinister thriller from Black Fawn Films (the team behind I’ll Take Your Dead and Vicious Fun). Directed by Cody Calahan (Let Her Out) the film stars RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Peter Outerbridge (V-Wars) and Ari Millen (Orphan Black).
During a raging snowstorm, a drifter (RJ Mitte) offers to settle a debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story. The night’s events quickly spiral into a dark tale of deceit, mistaken identity and shocking violence.
There’s so much more to The Oak Room
At first hand, the idea of a film that has a character telling another story at a bar doesn’t sound that appealing but you would be wrong in thinking that this is a film that from that premise it has you gripped and gripped tightly by not only the interflowing story that is being told by Steve (RJ Mitte) but also with the superbly written dialogue that flows throughout the short 88-minute feature.
As the film, and the story, unfolds we are taking on a trip to The Oak Room and a story that Steve had heard and it’s one that has you wanting to know more with its teases of something far deeper than being just a story that is worth a 1,000 words as Steve puts it.
I really don’t want to go too much into the story being told as it would spoil the outcome of the overall production, but suffice to say that everything beautiful comes together in the films final scenes.
The Oak Room is one of those films that even though it is a bit of slow burner once you get pulled into the story and the mystery you are glued to it until the very end and to not only is that enough to keep you interested the film looks great as well. The cinematography of the film looks great and although it is set mainly in a bar, the darkly lit venue is shot very nicely giving the visuals that unnerving darkness and a warmth light at the same time which looks great.
As I mentioned earlier the dialogue of The Oak Room really carries the film along nicely, RJ Mitte is brilliant in his role of Steve and has certainly brought his character to life on the screen as he tells his story to Paul (Peter Outerbridge).
This is a movie that is a refreshing change from the all-out action movies and it’s one that will have you thinking and putting clues together during your viewing, I really enjoyed The Oak Room, it’s a movie that has been perfectly crafted to bring the idea of someone telling a story at a bar into something more and it certainly keeps the intrigue from the start. Director Cody Calahan has crafted a work of art from not only the story from Peter Genoway but has also pulled some great performances from the cast.
The Oak Room will be released on digital download from April 26 in the UK, from April 27 in Canada (Black Fawn Distribution) and from April 28 (also Lightbulb Film Distribution) in Australia and New Zealand.
An intriguing thriller
Movie title: The Oak Room
Movie description: During a raging snowstorm, a drifter returns home to the blue-collar bar located in the remote Canadian town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night's events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double-crosses and shocking violence.
Date published: April 26, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 88mins
Director(s): Cody Calahan
Actor(s): RJ Mitte, Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
