Fermat's Room (2007)

4 mathematicians are invited to solve an enigma. Once there, they're locked in a mechanically shrinking room and given 1 minute to solve each puzzle via cellphone while also figuring out why they're there.

Directors:

Luis Piedrahita, Rodrigo Sopeña

Writers:

Luis Piedrahita, Rodrigo Sopeña

Stars:

Alejo Sauras, Elena Ballesteros, Lluís Homar

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alejo Sauras	...	Galois
Elena Ballesteros	...	Oliva
Lluís Homar	...	Hilbert
Santi Millán	...	Pascal
Federico Luppi	...	Fermat
Ariadna Cabrol	...	Girl
San Yélamos	...	Girl
Alicia Fernández	...	Girl
Cesc Cornet	...	Boy
Juanma Falcón	...	Boy
Adam Nached	...	Boy
Josep Minguell	...	Doctor
Helena Carrión	...	Librarian
Maria Piedrahita	...	Fermat's Daughter
Víctor Benjumea	...	Gas Station Attendant

Storyline

Four mathematicians who do not know each other are invited by a mysterious host on the pretext of resolving a great enigma. The room in which they find themselves turns out to be a shrinking room that will crush them if they do not discover in time what connects them all and why someone might wish to murder them.

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Plot Keywords:

shrinking room | locked in a room | mathematician | trapped in a room | chess | 

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Taglines:

Think inside the box

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In number theory, Fermat's Last Theorem states that no three positive integers a, b, and c satisfy the equation a^n + b^n = c^n for any integer value of n greater than 2.

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Goofs

The black board they are using to solve the problems is still showing the boxes of sweets they drew from a previous problem after they drew on it again to solve the problem related to the switches.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Galois: Do you know what prime numbers are? Because if you don't, you should just leave now.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, all accents are added later than the text appears. The character Hilbert is seen doing that continuously during the movie.

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Connections

References Lost (2004)

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Soundtracks

Experimentos con gaseosa
Composed by J
Performed by Los Planetas
2003 BMG Music Spain, S.A.

User Reviews

Original and ingeniously basic premise full of suspense and intrigue

This freaky and clever film chronicles fear , suspicion , desperation , paranoia of four mathematics (Elena Ballesteros , Alejo Sauras , Santi Millan and Luis Homar) completely strangers who are reunited in a Kafkaesque room by a mysterious host named Fermat (Federico Luppi) on the pretext of resolving a great enigma . Each one plays a part in their thrilling quest to find answers to why they've been imprisoned . The widely varying personality characteristics work together utilizing their given abilities and talents to survive the deadly trap which guards the colored room . The room in which they find themselves turns out to be a shrinking room that will crush them if they do not discover in time what connects them all and why someone might wish to murder them.

The picture succeeds because the thriller , tension , suspense , as well as a superbly written script delving into the human psyche in such extreme situation and ours instinctive urges for survival . Despite its low budget the picture manages to be intelligent , intriguing and thrilling . The good thing about this film is that the directors made it on a shoestring budget only having to do one set , yet the movie works on many levels but is constantly reconfigured . ¨Fermat's room¨ bears special resemblance to ¨The cube¨ (by Vicenzo Natali) , as there's also a dangerously premise about strangers closed attempting to find an exit and resolving enigmas and using their mathematical skills they press forward and backward through the walls to avoid get smashed because the room is reducing itself . Cast is frankly well giving fine performances , though little known with exception the veterans Federico Luppi (Cronos) who holds a strong Argetinean accent and Luis Homar (Backwoods , Los Borgia) . This motion picture relatively cheap was tautly directed by Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopeña in his first and only movie because they're usually writers for television . This is without a doubt a thought-provoking and mysterious film to be liked for suspense fans , turning out to be one of the most original Spanish movies of the last years . Rating : Better than average .

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Official site [United Kingdom]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Fermat's Room

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,028,290

Company Credits

Production Co:

Notro Films, Bocaboca Producciones, Generalitat de Catalunya - Institut Català de les Indústries Culturals (ICIC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1