Tomas Resegue

I was deep into backrooms lore before this existed, so I went in super excited into to this film. Kane Pixels’ was always one of my least favorite interpretations of the backrooms, I missed the sense of community and mystery the other versions had, the Async framing and structured documentation always felt like it missed the point. But that same framework converts better to film than I expected. Parsons is clearly doing something intentional with the “non” ending. The backrooms as a reflection of how we copy and dilute until the original gets lost somewhere down the corridor, trends, the uncanny valley, all of it. You never find out if she makes it out of the backrooms or if Async keeps her there and I think that’s exactly right. To me the backrooms is not the story of the characters, but rather a commentary that is amplified by the mysteries of this space. A friend of mine made a great connection: it was almost identical to the little mistakes AI makes when generating an image or retelling (remembering 😉) something, I think Kane Parsons did that on purpose. The newly confirmed sequel should follow completely different people. Not a continuation. Another room. (Still miss the sense of community and trading the other versions had. I always wanted to try almond water. To me something that I find scary of the other versions is that there is no way out and no clipping out of reality could happen to anyone anywhere anytime.)

Watanabe doesn’t change. That’s what gets me. He doesn’t become brave or wise or kind. He’s the same cowardly, bent man in the last scene as in the first. He does one thing before he dies. One small thing. A park. Kurosawa shows me the people who knew him and who lost him didn’t understand what had happened to him. They got drunk and almost understood at his wake. But on Monday morning, they returned to their work and ignored him once more. But there’s the swing. There’s the snow. There’s a man who finally heard his own voice and decided that was enough. I think this is what the movie is about. Finding meaning in life. Just reaching for it once, in the last act of a lifetime.