The Suicide Room Review

A brutal, Polish story that depicts the darkest and loneliest roots of modern adolescents – The Suicide Room, directed by Jan Komasa, is nothing quite like I’ve seen before. 

At first, I was confused and sceptical of this sub-titled film, but now I’m sat here thinking about it an hour or so later, its haunting tale and beautifully painful visuals have truly gotten to me.

The plot revolves around Dominik, a high school student who is the only son of wealthy parents, both of whom seem to be having affairs. Dominik portrays a sense of secret homosexuality, which becomes clear when he makes out with his male friend, Aleksander, at a party. Like many things nowadays, this kiss is quick to explode on social media, and although Dominik enjoys the controversial attention and tension at first, he soon becomes the school laughing stock, thus forcing him into isolation. This isolation is then what leads to Dominik’s discovery of an online chat room – The Suicide Room.

I must admit, I didn’t realise all of this information at first. To me, the film was rather confusing at many points, but this may just be due to the speed that some of the subtitle go by. The film is also very visually stunning at times, which I found distracting from subtitles at times.

Once his obsession with the suicide room begins to fester, so does his interest in ‘the girl with pink hair’. Not only does he then start withdrawing from the real world, he is utterly attracted by her negative and mysterious allurement.

None of the characters are particularly likeable; however, I feel as though the actors pulled off the roles superbly. One thing which did really strike me with the characters of Dominik and is parents was the portrayal of clear contrast between their worlds.

What I find to be most harrowing of the whole movie is the way it carefully and clearly depicts the way that social media plays in depression and teenage suicide.

Although this wasn’t the greatest movie, it’s definitely one with an important message that everyone should see.