Green Room is a critically acclaimed, multi-award winning masterpiece written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. The film stars the recently deceased Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and the inspiring Sir Patrick Steward as well as a host of other very talented individuals. The story follows punk band “The Ain't Rights— down a path of despair after they accidentally stumble across a murder and attempted coverup post gig.
I know a bit about punk culture, but it's not something I could ever personally identify with. I've always been so overly concerned about where I'll go, what I'll do and who I'll become, that the whole devil-may-care attitude and come-what-may philosophy was a bit of a negative for someone with anxiety. Social nonconformist attitude aside, I felt the music itself was too chaotic, too fractured. I much preferred the melodic, focused angst and rage of metal. Don't even get me fucking started on the pop-punk phase of the 00's. Differences aside, our punk cousins are most definitely still family, which is why Green Room is such a treat for me.
Well now that's not entirely true. What started as a very punk-centric flick turned quickly into a skinhead slasher feature. Skinheads are pretty much the asshole, racist uncle that no one wants to invite over for X-mas, and this movie more than amplifies that notion. There was a lot of jargon and terminology that I actually had to look up while watching this film as I don't hail from backwater —Murica. That's not me being condescending, my homeland invented apartheid. We just have a different breed of racist bigot.
I'm veering heavily off track. I'm supposed to be reviewing a movie here, so let's get back to that. This is a ridiculously solid film with an incredibly solid cast. Seriously, it is cast flawlessly. The story starts with very little in the way of direction, and once the shit hits the fan, it's difficult to imagine another hour of solid entertainment. The premise is, for lack of a better word, minimalist. The plot seems almost barren, yet the film itself keeps you hooked from start to finish.
I care very little for horror films that lack a creature, poltergeist or angry leprechaun, but this delivers on so many levels and I'm still trying to put my finger on why. Perhaps because it's not so generic? Perhaps the unique cast or subcultures involved? I can't quite say what it is that makes this such an entertaining and worthwhile film. It just is. It's is a downward spiral into chaos from beginning to end and never misses a beat. Each scene has a purpose and each sentence, action, or shot has direction. A masterful film about abhorrent people and their actions.
To end, this is not a date movie. There are no jump scares or unnecessary romances, no heroes or damsels in distress. There is no clever twist or boogeyman that opens his eyes at the end. It's just plain, unadulterated horror. The movie leaves us with just one question that remains unanswered: “What's your desert island band?— Catch the trailer below.
