Room 8 is one short film in a collection of many others in the Bombay Sapphire imagination series (five films altogether). Director James W Griffiths created this film based on a script by writer Geoffrey Fletcher. Each were made to write a film without any stage direction, so it was up to Griffiths to inject his own eye and genre into the film. What started off as a competition for the Tribeca Film Festival, now seems to have struck gold because Room 8, a mind boggling short film, is now a BAFTA nominated short.
Starrin Tom Cullen, Room 8 sees a prisoner enter a Russian cell with one other cell mate. Getting used to his surroundings, he finds a small red box. His companion turns and tells him not to open it, which of course leads him to do exactly the opposite. Inside, he finds a small replica version of the room. Amazed by the craftsmanship, he is shocked to discover when he pokes his hand in, a giant version of his hand comes down on him too. What happens now he discovers this?
Feeling like a mixture of Nolan and Brunel, Room 8 is an entertaining and dimension bending movie that may require a couple more watches for it to completely sink in. Rather than offer a deeper meaning than what a David Lynch film of this substance would (though one can argue that the futility of prison life and escape as well as not thinking before leaping into unknown situations are the prominent themes here), Room 8 is just an enjoyable feast of imagination that twists the eye, like an optical illusion. Griffith has created an immensely excellent short.
