Room 237 (2012)

Conspiracy theories have always fascinated me. Not in the way that I read them or believe them, but more the fact that people can create the strangest theories based on the smallest of details. Theories about Roswell, Bigfoot or UFO’s have caught the imagination of the bigger public through shows like the X-Files and it shows we love them, possibly wanting them to be true. Usually though there is no way to prove or disprove a theory (or a belief for that matter), simply because there is no conclusive evidence. The documentary Room 237 looks at very specific theories, namely those about the movie I reviewed yesterday, The Shining.

The movie consists of several interpretations of the movie by various people. You never see them, the movie uses footage of various movies to liven up or explain what is being talked about, and they seem to have been interviewed through Skype (as during one of the interviews the man talking is interrupted by his son). The theories and interpretations vary widely in subject. One goes into the layout of the hotel (and how it doesn’t match up), another theory states that this movie is about the genocide of American Indians. Some are just interesting to see, like the one where the movie is played forwards and backwards at the same time and overlayed on each other, but whether or not you will get much out of it is basically how far you are willing to follow these interpretations.

This movie shows that if you focus on something long enough you will see things which might be considered strange, but in reality could also be considered continuity errors. But what if they are not? What if Stanley Kubrick wanted to show his audience other things, maybe something you might not be conscious about. That is what this movie is about. I know that everyone gets something different out of the movies they watch, there is always room for interpretation. It is the beauty of film, but in this case I often was a bit shocked by the crazy stuff people will think up. Some theories might be considered interesting, like the one about Kubrick having shot the moon landing and leaving clues about it in The Shining, but most of the theories were just too weird for me to even consider taking them seriously. Having just watched The Shining I was longing for some more information about the movie and it kind of gave it, but there was just too much “out there” stuff to keep me interested during the whole running time.