Backrooms

Backrooms tries to connect a mystery box premise to psychological meditations. Though an honorable effort, this can feel forced. The thin plot mostly just introduces its concept. That could be considered immersive, but it also exacerbates the under-integrated subtext. Similar to its themes, the attempts for emotional depth occasionally seem tacked on. Despite throughlines of self-discovery, memory, and mental pathways, it often comes across more like a promising collection than a refined whole. The few explanations its ambiguous ending gives are counterproductive. Still, the performances inject natural layers, range, and subtlety. Thus, Backrooms is a positive rough draft.

Backrooms contrasts restraint alongside surrealism to build an existential atmosphere. The imagery uses long handycam takes, wide lenses, fluorescent lighting, and angles for looming confinement. Inside a chapter-like structure, its editing juxtaposes a patient pace with trippy sequences. Electronic feedback intensifies the soundscape throughout. Its minimalist music employs off-key, ethereal scoring. A definitive quality, its production design creates a vast labyrinth of recontextualized, 90s mundanity. Prestigious talent leads its small cast. Digital plus practical effects combine to construct a grounded yet dreamy reality. All in all, Backrooms is proficiently assembled.

Writing: 6/10

Direction: 8/10

Cinematography: 8/10

Acting: 8/10

Editing: 8/10

Sound: 8/10

Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Production Design: 10/10

Casting: 7/10

Effects: 8/10

Overall Score: 7.8/10

Instagram Page

YouTube Channel