Look Again. Jan 19 – 29, 2012 Park City, Utah

Have you ever seen a hidden message?

In 1980 Stanley Kubrick released his classic horror film, The Shining. Loved and hated by equal numbers, the film is considered a genre standard by many loyalists, while other viewers dismiss it as the lazy result of a legendary director working far below his talent level. In between these two poles, however, live the conspiracy theories of ardent fans who are convinced they have decoded The Shining’s secret messages regarding genocide, government conspiracy, and the nightmare that we call history.

Rodney Ascher’s documentary, Room 237, fuses fact and fiction through interviews with the fans and scholars who espouse these theories, and reworking the film’s scenes forward and backward. Room 237 is about more than people who like a famous movie; its vision encompasses original intent, fair use, analysis, and criticism. It investigates what it means to be a fan—why do we need to find deeper meanings in film, and how do those insights change our lives? - M.P.

Tim Kirk
tim2kirk@yahoo.com
Highland Park Classics
Los Angeles, CA 90039
United States
Room 237
Facebook
http://twitter.com/#!/Room237movie

Rodney Ascher's films have screened at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York; Artist Television Access in San Francisco; and under the Brooklyn Bridge. His work comprises countless short films (fictional and less so), including 2010's The S from Hell, commercial projects, and direct‐to‐the‐Web quickies. He lives in Los Angeles with his family and a very special cat.