#fear and terror / drama / family relations / mystery / violence / blood / suicide / torture / home invasion / secrets / Polish premiere
THE GUEST ROOM
drama, psychological thriller, horror / Italy / 2021 / 1h 41m
A seat at the table for an unexpected guest
Stella – all in tears and wearing a wedding dress – decides to take her own life by jumping out of the window. Just before the final step, the woman gets distracted from her depressed trance by the sound of the doorbell. An unexpected guest is waiting at the doorstep. Giulio, a somewhat lost but quite nice gentleman, claims he has booked an overnight stay at her house. Despite Stella’s explanations that this is impossible, he insists on staying at least for a while. She finally succumbs to the man’s charming straightforwardness, as he entertains her with conversation and reveals more and more information about his life and past. The atmosphere in the house changes completely when Stella’s ex-husband appears in the doorway. The unplanned family reunion quickly turns into extreme couple’s counseling, during which sweating blood for the sake of our loved ones will take on a different meaning… As it turns out, love can’t heal all wounds.
“The Guest Room,” directed by Stefano Lodovichi, oscillates between psychological drama, horror, and home invasion cinema. The story draws us deeper and deeper into an unclear situation, constantly awakening the desire to discover all secrets. The disturbing setup is additionally accented by the minimalism of the production. The Italian director locks us at home with three unfamiliar characters whose stories we discover piece by piece, not knowing who can be trusted. Lodovichi’s work is intriguing, gripping, and keeps us on the edge of the seat until the last minute.
directed by: Stefano Lodovichi
screenplay: Stefano Lodovichi, Francesco Agostini, Filippo Gili
starring: Camilla Filippi, Guido Caprino, Edoardo Pesce, and others
cinematography: Timoty Aliprandi
editing: Roberto Di Tanna
music: Giorgio Giampà
language: Italian
subtitles: Polish
WORLD PREMIERE: Berlin International Film Festival 2021
Age restriction: 16+
