SUMMARY
Financially struggling but dedicated touring Punk Rock band “The Ain’t Rights,” are trapped in the green room backstage at a venue run by Neo-Nazis after witnessing a violent crime. It isn’t a question of “can we all get out of here alive,” but more, “how many of us are going to die here?”
MY THOUGHTS
Green Room is a follow up to Jeremy Saulnier’s “Blue Ruin,” another film I liked so I was really excited to see this one. There is a quality to Saulnier’s directing that is refreshing and almost my exact definition of artistic. You get the sense that he really respects his audience and that he wants the world, the characters, and the events in this film to seem both fantastic (in the sense that they are unusual and thus interesting to watch), but at the same time, so realistic that you have no problem believing that they are really happening. This effect is achieved in several ways that I find compelling.
The first is through the direction, cinematography and acting. The director doesn’t feel compelled to impress the audience with anything that seems larger than life. The camera is comfortable to linger on things we would have trouble tearing our eyes away from, but just as comfortable with not showing things that would intrigue us but not be visible to the characters. By careful decisions of what to show, not show, and inform the audience of, Saulnier allows the audience to simultaneously identify with the protagonists and dread what we know is coming down on them, even if they don’t.
Another example of this is one of the band members, played by Anton Yelchin (“Thoroughbreds”). He knows martial arts, Jiu Jitsu or something like that. He isn’t built like Thor, and he doesn’t fight like Bruce Lee. He looks like a normal post high school kid. When he takes someone down, it isn’t flashy. He isn’t showing off. He is taking him down as quick as possible. It looks more like a highschool wrestling match than a martial arts move. Again, the director isn’t afraid, and actually relishes the opportunity, to show the realistic way this would play out, and it ends up being more exciting for it.
Another, hyper realistic aspect of Green Room is the effects. I won’t get into the Practical vs. CG debate (partially because Saulnier says he used both in this film to create the final effect) but the bottom line is that these effects feel so real that you cringe with pain, yelp with surprise, and peek through your fingers at what is coming next. This will turn off some audiences but in an industry that sometimes treats bullet wounds like paper cuts, it is jarring to see a film where someone gets shot and the effects last the rest of the film. It heightens the fear and the stakes because of the danger our heroes are in but it also opens the door for hope, because we know that they only need one good shot to turn the tables. They don’t need to know Kung Fu and have a 10 minute hand to hand showdown to prove their mettle. A crow bar could be enough to turn the tide in their favor.
The last way this film captures the realism so many movies lack is in the acting and writing. The writing comes first but the actor has to sell it and that is easier if the writing is good. They just go hand in hand as far as I’m concerned. It’s hard for me to talk long about the acting, because to me, the highest compliment I can give is, it didn’t seem like acting. The best acting feels like you are watching people react the way people react for real and that’s what this film feels like. It doesn’t look like any one is acting like they got shot. They are getting shot. It doesn’t look like anyone is having a heart to heart. They are having a heart to heart. The actors embody their characters so perfectly that not one of them feels made up or put on. It’s the difference between a character acting funny to make an audience laugh and one acting funny to make the other characters laugh. Both are funny, but one immerses you in a realistic world and the other reminds you that you are watching a movie. You know it and the actor knows it too.
The writing in this film is absolutely brilliant. Saulnier assumes that the audience is smart enough to figure stuff out and not have it all spelled out. That character that does Jiu Jitsu? The scene he uses it in is the first we see of it. There is no scene at the start of the film showing him getting out of practice or bragging about his martial arts skills. The writer trusts the audience to just believe what they are being presented with. The Neo-Nazi bad guys? What is their big plan? I don’t know. The movie never says what exactly they are all about. I know it’s shady and bad and that’s all I need to know.
Green Room never explains so many things that when I say it, I feel like people will be afraid that they will be lost, but you aren’t lost at all. You are intrigued. By not emphasizing explanation for the audience, the writer ends up allowing himself to write scenes that feel real. Exposition comes when the characters need it, not when the audience does. No one in the film says “Hey, red laces are a big deal. Here is what they mean and how you get them.” Instead, we just see a character spot someone with red laces, and flip the heck out. After that reaction, I know all I need to about red laces.
I guess if I had to pick a negative about this film, it would be that there isn’t much of a theme. That’s ok by me. Not every film needs to be about some social issue, relationship truths, or existential angst, but it does put the violence in a different category than some other films. I would more understand someone who sees this film as violence for entertainment sake since the themes are so simple and not very well explored. The violence in “Schindler’s List” is acceptable to me because it serves a higher purpose. Not so much here.
That isn’t to say that themes aren’t there at all. Two things jumped out at me. The first is the difference between posing and really being. There is a lot in this film about what it means to put up a front and what it means to actually be authentic. The band is all about appearing to be true to punk and hardcore, but when the chips are down we find out just how scared and weak they really are. As they prove their power and actually start overcoming and being hard, they are able to open up more about who they really are on the inside, not needing to front, and ultimately learn that their opinions and what they think don’t matter near as much as what they are willing to do.
The other theme I see has to do with the nature of evil. In our modern world and in storytelling we have very simplistic views of evil. It is stupid and twists it’s mustache. It is white, rich, thinks it is above everyone else, and is dumb enough that eventually it will slip up and fail. There are times and cases where this is true, but this film shows us a face of evil we rarely see portrayed.
In this film, the phenomenal Patrick Stewart (“Dune (1984)”) is our face of evil. He isn’t stupid. He comes to the door and seems reasonable and calm. The police trust him. The majority of the people in the film love him and are dedicated to him. He doesn’t flaunt his misdeeds. He skulks in the dark and above all else doesn’t want to have his deeds be brought to light. He isn’t going to just mess up. He must be defeated. He must be fought and the ultimate victory isn’t just killing him, or getting away from him. It is shining a light on him, for people to see what he really is.
VERDICT
I can’t say I would recommend Green Room to everyone. It’s too violent for many people. In fact, I would say if you’ve ever stopped watching a movie because of its violent content, then this probably isn’t for you.
But if you want a film that pushes for realism, respects you as an audience member, and shocks you with unexpected turns, right after reaching into your heart and making you care, right after intriguing you with mysterious and complicated problems for the band to overcome, then Green Room will, no doubt, satisfy.
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