Chatroom (2010)

5 teenagers are introduced to each other in a chatroom called "Chelsea Teens!", all with different personalities. But when one shows its darker side, it threatens the life of the others.

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Enda Walsh (play), Enda Walsh (screenplay)

Stars:

Jacob Anderson, Matthew Ashforde, Dorothy Atkinson

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacob Anderson	...	Si
Matthew Ashforde	...	Jim's Father
Dorothy Atkinson	...	Emily's Mother
Matthew Beard	...	Jim
Alex Blake	...	Man on Mobile Phone
Noa Bodner	...	Woman at Book Launch
Amanda Boxer	...	Mrs. Sinclair
Lorraine Cheshire	...	Yorkshire Housewife
Megan Dodds	...	Grace
Michelle Fairley	...	Rosie
Matthew Fenton	...	Young Jim
Elarica Johnson	...	Ushi (as Elarica Gallacher)
Nicholas Gleaves	...	Paul
Ross Gurney-Randall	...	Large Camden Man
Gerald Home	...	Tony Layton

Storyline

5 teenagers are introduced to each other in a chatroom called "Chelsea Teens!", all with different personalities. But when one shows its darker side, it threatens the life of the others.

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Plot Keywords:

self injury | depression | teenager | friendship | mother son relationship | 

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Taglines:

Control. Alter. Delete.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content, some sexual material and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hannah Murray, Michelle Fairley, Richard Madden and Jacob Anderson are all actors in the Game of Thrones (2011) series.

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Quotes

Eva: Come on! Come on, get personal. Who is it? Who does Jim hate?
Jim: Me.
Mo: Really Jim?
Eva: You hate yourself... So what?
Emily: D'you have an okay family life?
Jim: [Nods] Yeah. Yeah. I don't have a father. But my mum is really nice.
Eva: So you hate yourself, because?
Jim: I've been on anti-depressants for two years.
Emily: And... Do they help? Do you know if they're helping?
Jim: I don't know... Maybe...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The film was altered based on advice given by the BBFC at the script stage to avoid a potential 18 certificate. Several lines of sexual dialogue were altered, and the filmmakers were also advised to avoid "novel detail" when it came to shoot the suicide scenes.

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Connections

References Bugsy Malone (1976)

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Soundtracks

Animal
(Mark Ronson remix)
Performed by Miike Snow
Written by Pontus Winnberg (as Winnberg), Christian Karlsson (as Karlsson), Andrew Wyatt (as Blakemore) & Henry Jonback (as Jonback)
Published by Downtown Music LLC, Copyright Control, and Universal Music Publishing
(P) 2009 Miike Snow under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

User Reviews

A Novel Idea But Doesn't Deliver

The concept of Chatroom is a really good idea: five teenagers join an online chatroom and the film portrays their conversations as if they are happening in the real world, in a physical room. I can see, with quite a bit of rewriting, this working as a very engaging stage adaption. However, this film doesn't deliver on the goods. If I could make some decisions here I would have kept the entire film surrealistic, keeping every scene in the virtual world instead of flashing back and forth from the online fantasy into the real world where the kids are typing into their laptops or phones. That would have taken quite a bit of more talent to write, however, as we'd have to stay engaged with a conversation in a My Dinner With Andre sort of way. Also, two of the characters are extremely neglected and their subplots are never carried through to fruition. I also have a hard time believing, even in the virtual world of the internet, that the villain here could actually manipulate everyone so easily without anyone really objecting. It would have been in that objection, in the passion of that debate, that this movie could have found its true energy. But unfortunately it relies too heavily on every parent's paranoid nightmare of the internet leading to suicide or a sexual predator. There are some novel ideas here but unfortunately this film does not realize the potential of those ideas.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [Japan]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Chatroom

Filming Locations:

E Stage, Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$683,912

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ruby Films, Film4, UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1