A Semi-Psychological Drama that makes you ask yourself —
What would I do?
The Room taps into one of the oldest tricks in the book — the “Would you do this?” concept — but with one very specific twist: it revolves entirely around life itself.
The story follows Matt (Kevin Janssens), a European painter wrestling with the same demon every artist fights — inspiration. That whole staring at a blank canvas waiting for a spark struggle. The movie makes that crystal clear within the first 15 minutes. They just moved into a new house, that whole fresh-start energy is in the air — you know that feeling — but Matt still can’t get the brush moving.
Now, whether he’s actually good at painting or not — the movie doesn’t care, and neither should you. What matters is the fact that he can’t start — and that frustration pushes him through the rest of the film. Honestly, Kevin Janssens plays that subtle struggle really well — but what he nails most is the deception that’s about to unfold.
Let’s Talk About Kate
Olga Kurylenko plays Kate — Matt’s wife… or maybe girlfriend? They never really specify. If they did, I missed it — so let me know. What we do know is that she’s a translator for some unnamed company — not exactly a life-changing detail, but it subtly sets up her mindset.
Kate’s whole thing is security. She’s the type that worries about money — and whether she’ll admit it or not, she doesn’t fully trust Matt to provide for both of them through his art alone. And honestly… fair. How they even afforded this massive old house with those jobs is a mystery that the movie just expects us to accept — but hey, we’ll let that one slide.
What matters is that Kate’s desire for stability becomes one of the driving forces behind everything that happens next.
The Story
It all starts like every other “new house” movie — happy couple, unpacking boxes, everything’s sunshine and rainbows. That whole reverse spring-cleaning vibe. But things get weird real quick.
Kate finds a dead bird in a cupboard while Matt’s off exploring the house — right before he stumbles onto The Room. She takes the bird outside to bury it — showing us that she’s the more loving, gentle one. Meanwhile, Matt’s already distracted by some random window he accidentally broke.
By the time Kate looks back — the bird’s gone.
Little details like that sneak in throughout the film, and if you’re really paying attention — you’ll clock that nothing is exactly as it seems. But don’t try too hard to figure it out — it’ll ruin the fun.
The Room
Alright, here’s where things get interesting.
Matt finds the room. Matt tests the room. Matt abuses the room.
The rules are simple — you don’t wish for something… you command it. Whatever you want, the room gives it to you.
But here’s where my earlier point about inspiration comes back around — even with unlimited power at his fingertips… Matt’s imagination is boring as hell. He asks for cash, some furniture, and one diamond dress that feels more like a flex than a desire. The whole time you’re sitting there thinking… That’s it?
But that’s kind of the point. Matt’s whole problem is that he can’t imagine anything beyond the obvious. His mind is stuck. When Kate finally gets in on the action — the first thing she asks for is money — something Matt didn’t even consider.
The movie slowly peels back the layers of their personalities through what they choose to create.
The Child
Now… this is where the movie goes off the rails.
Kate uses the room to give herself something that they couldn’t have on their own — a child.
Without going too deep into the whole plot — this kid flips everything upside down. He brings a whole forest into the house, makes it snow indoors — stuff that neither Matt nor Kate ever dreamed of doing. The movie never directly says it, but you start to feel that maybe… the room isn’t the real danger here.
It’s imagination without limits.
Matt loses his mind trying to control the situation — which, to be fair, makes sense. This kid could literally turn the walls into molten lava if he wanted to. But Matt’s anger isn’t just about safety — it’s jealousy. The same man who couldn’t even paint a canvas is now living under the same roof as someone whose imagination could reshape the entire world.
Final Thoughts
The Room isn’t perfect — the pacing drags in spots, and the ending might not land for everyone — but the concept is what sells it.
What would you do if you could have anything?
The movie spends most of its runtime showing you what people think they want — and how quickly those desires spiral out of control. It’s not a horror movie — not really — but it plays on that deep fear of getting exactly what you asked for.
Don’t watch this expecting non-stop action or some mind-blowing twist. Watch it for the slow, psychological tug-of-war between imagination and reality.
If you had The Room…
what would you ask for?
