Room 237 (2013)
VERDICT:
8/10 Dull Boys
So much for it being about the worst dad ever.
Room 237 is a documentary about the many different meanings, messages and interpretations that have been derived from The Shining after countless viewings by some diehard fans who just can’t get enough of it. And unless you’re part of the club, chances are it will all be coming as news.
The first thing I did when I heard about this movie was send the trailer to one of my colleagues. Now, I like The Shining as much as the next guy. It’s one of the all-time greats of the genre and there’s never been anything quite like it (as far as I’m aware). Although as much as it makes me want to drop whatever I’m doing whenever it’s on TV, it’s still not my favorite Kubrick movie and it’s still not something I’ve found myself coming back to over the years. What can I say, I’m a 2001 kinda guy.
Anyway, back to my colleague, the one who’s got the that floor pattern on the poster as the wallpaper on his computer. I sent him the trailer not really knowing what this documentary was about or what I would eventually be getting myself into. Not surprisingly, he’d already heard about it and began to tell me quite an unusual story.
He told me that he’d done some digging of his own at one point and time, eventually coming across a theory that even he couldn’t quite believe. The theory went as such: contrary to popular belief, The Shining is not about a dad who goes nuts and tries to kill his whole family, but is in fact Stanley Kubrick’s way of telling the world that the moon landing in 1969 was staged and that he was the one who helped stage it. My colleague couldn’t remember all the details, but the grounds for this interpretation was based on Danny wearing a sweater that had an Apollo spaceship on it and something having to do with Room 237 itself. Needless to say, we both had a good laugh over it.
It was a crackpot theory, the kind of thing that would make you question a person’s sanity. Sure, even with a base understanding to go off of, it doesn’t take repeat viewings to see that The Shining leaves a lot to the imagination. But the moon landing? Dude, come on, I’m worried about you over here.
It was such a crackpot theory that I couldn’t believe Room 237 would even have the sense to entertain it. There was just no way.
And yet it did, and here I am, more skeptical than I ever thought I would be on the subject. I’m not saying I believe it, I’m not saying we didn’t land on the moon, but damn, if that crazy bastard doing the voice-over doesn’t make an unusually convincing case for himself. Buzz Aldrin’s gonna sock me in the mouth for that one, I just know it…
To say the least, it’s a surprisingly effective documentary.
The thing is, it’s hard to convey why that is without sounding like a full-blown conspiracy theorist in turn. I mean, with the exception of maybe Pi and Pulp Fiction, I’m not the kind of moviegoer who revels in cracking every code that may or may not even be there. I’ve gone down that road, and there’s simply no end to it. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life. But that’s exactly what this is: a talking heads movie that’s steered by nitpicky people with some truly inspired/batshit bonkers viewpoints. They’ve dissected The Shining to where they’ve drawn out maps of the Overlook Hotel, contacted the owners of the actual hotels that were used for filming, and superimposed the movie over itself with one version playing forwards and the other playing backwards. Why? Because it was there. It is borderline unhealthy how deep these people have gone, and for that very reason, it’s actually hard to write them off as loonies.
The way they talk about The Shining, they’re not out to convert us or make us feel like idiots for not seeing it their way to begin with. They’re just trying to show us how they saw the movie, completely comfortable with the conclusions they’ve drawn, regardless of whether or not anyone else shares them. For them, it’s all right there, and that kind of approach goes a long way in making them seem like your everyday moviegoer and their opinions seem that much more believable. A lot of these guys didn’t even like the movie when they first saw it, but for some reason or another it either stuck with them until they finally understood why that was.
Not only that, but these guys did their research. They know everything there is to know about Kubrick, they know exactly what kind of director he was and that there’s no such thing as a flub, an Easter Egg or happy accident in his movies. When Stanley Kubrick puts something in the frame, it’s been put there for a reason and it’s up to us to figure out why. Not calling the guy a genius or anything as I’ve had my doubts in the past, but the man knew what he was doing and he had an IQ of 200 to boot. If it were any other director, these testimonies just wouldn’t have the same weight to them. After all, if there’s anyone who could have pulled off a fake moon landing, it’s the guy who did 2001: A Space Odyssey, a movie with special effects that I’ll never be able to wrap my head around.
Unfortunately, for all the sells that I found myself buying, not every theory is as convincing as the next. I can understand how someone could watch this movie and see it as one big metaphor for the Holocaust or the eradication of Native Americans, but when you start drawing connections between certain scenes and unrelated events in your own life, that’s just grasping at straws. Just because your kid’s head split open in a nightmare doesn’t mean it relates to a horror movie from 1980. Also had a hard time with some of the subliminal messages that Kubrick supposedly threw in there, but to each his own, I suppose.
I was thinking about re-watching The Shining before going into this, but in hindsight, I’m glad that I didn’t. Well, it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way, because as long as you’ve seen it once, that’s all the preparation you’ll need. The real difference here is how I’m going to view it from here on out. While I’m sure it’ll still work like gangbusters on a purely horrific level, I can tell already tell that I’ll be looking for the signs. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, but I expect it’ll be something else.
I can imagine that it can’t be easy to make movies about movies in any way, shape or form (especially about movies that actually exist), and I’m also guessing that’s why there’s so few of them in this world. It’s not an easy pitch for some and I feel like there are only so many movies out there that really bear this kind of treatment/analysis. But being the movie nerd that I am, I was all ears from start to finish. As for my wife, the trooper that she is? Not so much, and I don’t blame her. I owe her for this one.
Needless to say, Room 237 is catering to a pretty niche audience, and if you’re not already intrigued, then you’re probably not part of it. It’s the kind of movie that critics and cinephiles will go flat-out ape over and will make casual moviegoers feel duped for trusting the reviews. Don’t get me wrong, there are exceptions to every rule, but by and large, that seems like the way this cookie’s gonna crumble. So if all this crazy talk has you the least bit interested, by all means, take the plunge. But if you’d rather not risk having The Shining ruined for you by some movie nerds with microphones, continue on and cherish those memories.
And in case you’re hoping, it has no explanation for that guy in the bear/pig suit. For God’s sake, will someone please explain that guy in the bear/pig suit!
Cut The Crap Movie Reviews 
http://kdk12.tumblr.com/post/45308044735/the-13-secrets-of-the-bear-man
Hahahaha. Thank you! Still not sure if that cleared anything up, but why am I not surprised. Astounding what people have managed to ween out of this sucker.
I reckon that I may just have to check this one out!
Haha. Do it to it, would love to hear your thoughts!
I loved this film. I’m a film student and my essay was on The Shining so I thought I might as well give it a watch to see if there was anything worth putting into my essay. Some of the theories were really out there (moon landing, for example) but others were quite plausible. Kubrick’s an interesting director that’s for sure. I have yet to see 2001 – yes, yes I know! It’s on my to-do list for the summer – but The Shining is definitely one of my all time favourites. I think this was my favourite film essay to date.
Awesome, glad you dug it! Man, the last time I had to write a paper about The Shining was in high school, but man, I would have sounded like a goddamn genius if I had had this to help me out. That, or a certified lunatic. Either way, I’m sure it made for one heck of an essay.
Really interesting to hear you say the moon landing was the most “out there” of the bunch. Going in, I was totally of the same mindset, but now I feel like there’s actually some truth to it. Really does help to see what Kubrick pulled off in 2001 though, it’s still amazing how he managed to pull off the gravity stuff in that. You gotta check that one out, it’s in the Top Ten (and read the book first if you can!).
Anyhow, I’m rambling. Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think of 2001 if you ever get around to it!
I had to write the essay reading The Shining through Gilles Deleuze and Jean Baudrillard so it was pretty difficult but enjoyable. I say that now its over anyway, haha.
Yeah there is some good evidence to back up the moon landing theory but I still think its a bit ridiculous. I also didn’t know there was a 2001 novel! I’m very glad you told me because I hate to watch films before I read the book so I’ll have to go and find that now before I watch Kubrick’s version. Thanks!
2001 is quite the freaking head-trip without reading the book first, and it’s quite an exceptional book in its own right, regardless of the movie. Speaking of which, I’ve actually never read The Shining before. Always had a mind to, always heard it’s quite different from the movie. Not sure if I could handle all the additional philosophy though, that must have been quite the paper!
Keep me posted on 2001 though, would love to hear your thoughts if you ever get around to the book and the movie!
The Shining is a fantastic book and is quite stand alone from the film. In comparison between the two I prefer the book but the film just has something that keeps dragging me back.
Yes, I will let you know!
Right on and good to know! Adding it to my never-ending To Read pile!
Haha tell me about it! You should check out the pile next to my bed on my blog if you haven’t already.
Hahaha. I did see that! You’ve got your work cut out for you!
This sounds like a strong contender for Rev‘s programme this year. Definitely their sort of flick.
Never even heard of that before, sounds like the place to be. You going?
I have a perfect attendance record to maintain! Apart from Richard, the founder, there’s only one other person who has turned up every year at Rev. Funny, but we’ve never actually met – maybe this year.
Haha. This could be the one! Well hope this year’s is a winner and thanks for the heads up!
Ah, damn. Email from Richard:
“Tried to get it but couldn’t get hold of it. Bummer.”
Well it is on iTunes right now, so if you want to give Richard the heads up and tell him to buy an AppleTV, maybe that’ll help?
It couldn’t hurt!
Certainly sounds like something I’d love to see. As a horror fan, film student, and with an interest in conspiracy theories, it would seem to tick every box.
As for the man in the bear/pig suit? Maybe that was the inspiration for why no one in South Park takes Al Gore “seriely” …
Haha. Oh yes, this one is right up your alley if those are all on your checklist.
And thank you, Coomber, thank you for making my day with that South Park reference. Was hoping and praying that someone would go there. Bravo, bravo.
Haha, you are more than welcome Aiden. I have to admit I’m surprised no one else got there before me.
Haha. As am I, but the day is yours.
I found it. Very interesting. The idea of showing the movie simultaneously in forward and reverse was original.
It’s a pity that Kubrick isn’t around to appreciate the diversity of interpretation.
Yeah, that was pretty wild. Amazing the lengths these people go to in order to find meaning out of this movie. And that’s a great point about Kubrick, I’m sure he would have been tickled pink by this one.