Entry #3 - July 2, 2026
"Like Asking The Backrooms to Review a Film it's Never Seen Before..."
Let's talk Backrooms. Unfortunately, I've already seen other people's opinions on it so my own opinion is slightly tainted. Regardless, though, I'm still going to share my thoughts as we are meant to have opinions and not be stance-less. At least in my life, this blog one of the few ways I can express my stance on things without being murdered (figuratively: verbally, emotionally, familially). Granted, this stance is on a pretty uncontroversial topic. Also, this is just a pool of my opinions, not a critically thought-out analysis of the Backrooms. I'm still working towards that, though.
I really liked the Backrooms. From it's story, acting, visuals, and everything. There were some odd things here and there, but overall, It's a favorite. Admittedly, I am biased: I am biased because I was already a fan of Kane Parsons and his series' beforehand, because the film has liminal imagery, and because I love anything related to the Backrooms conceptually.
Starting off. The story. My only complaint would be that it was too short. I felt that not enough time was given to see Clark's decline. In my opinion, it felt so sudden. I was actually confused on how long he was in the Backrooms for before Mary searched for him. Even after seeing the pile of letters by his doorsteps, I thought, initially, that only a few days had passed. I only considered that he was probably in there for weeks after I exited the Cinema.
Ending-wise, I think the ambiguity of Mary's path ahead is fitting for the Backrooms as a concept. The Backrooms itself, in my opinion, is an unsure place: It is infinite and it is transient. We're not certain if she ever gets out, if she's dead, or if she's started working for Async. I prefer to believe the latter possibility as she's knowledgeable regarding how the Backrooms function, she's a Psychologist, and she would be a great recurring character (based).
In terms of acting, I really enjoyed the acting as it was mostly believable and I was able to really see the characters rather than the actors.
My only issue would be on the scenes of Mary and Clark's therapy dialogues. I found Mary's dialogues and delivery as a therapist to be... cliche? Her delivery was like that of every other therapist in every other film. I wouldn't put this loss on Renate Reinsve, though, as I am absolutely biased towards kind, unproblematic women. She did great with what she was given and she was amazing for the rest of the film. I particularly loved her facial expressions when Pirate Clark was chasing her as she looked so terrified and confused on what to do next.
As for Clark, I have not much comments on his acting aside from the fact that Chiwetel Ejiofor played him perfectly. Clark is so problematic but so pitiable. He is suffering because of his own actions and because he cannot acknowledge that he is the problem. Maybe not the whole of it, but he certainly plays a part in his own misery by not being able to see where he went wrong. Most of all, as he said, he doesn't want to change and he doesn't want to be better... And as incriminating as it sounds, I do relate to that sentiment. Sometimes, you've already done so many bad things and made so many mistakes that you question if it's even worth to change your behavior; If being better will still have an impact on yourself, and especially the people around you.
Anyway, that is not to say that I still subscribe to that sentiment. Well, sometimes. The point is, Clark is acted perfectly and it is very easy to see yourself in him. Especially if you're a conflicted/problematic person yourself.
Lastly, the visuals. Surprise surprise, I love it unconditionally. I haven't really developed a strong palette in terms of my preference for cinematography and set design in film, so anything creative, new, and unconventional definitely sticks with me. I love films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, It's What's Inside, and Sinners for its colors; and Severance, Backrooms, and The Residence for its camerawork. For the Backrooms, I absolutely love how colorful the outside world is and how dull The Complex is in comparison. The vibrant, technicolor-like coloring of the outside world compared to the monotone coloring and "modern" lighting of The Complex is such an obvious, but nonetheless amazing detail of the film. Also, the set. That's it. It's perfect. I want to go there...
Before I close this surface-level opinion pool, I would like to address the (previously) 20-year-old elephant in the room that has been stirring my feelings of self-worth. I am so envious but also so so so idolizing of Kane Parsons. He is close to my age (18) and he's achieved so much in such a short amount of time. Knowing that he has been creating art and truly honing his skills since he was like 14 (I guessed that number), it does make one feel inadequate and unaccomplished. That would be my feelings before. Now, though, I feel only a burning passion to improve myself, my skills, and my art to his level. Although it's particularly hard when there's 5 different passions going on at once.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Backrooms and I would definitely rewatch it once it releases digitally. I am aware that this blog is rather unstructured and unfocused but I am trying to improve that aspect of my long abanoned writing skills.