The Forbidden Room (2015)

In this non-linear amalgamation, submarine crewmen and a woodsman wend their way through a voyage of odd experiences.

Directors:

Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson (co-director)

Writers:

Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson

Stars:

Roy Dupuis, Clara Furey, Louis Negin

4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roy Dupuis	...	Cesare
Clara Furey	...	Margot
Louis Negin	...	Marv / Smithy / Mars / Organizer / Mr. Lanyon
Udo Kier	...	Count Yugh / The Butler / The Dead Father / Guard / Pharmacist
Gregory Hlady	...	Jarvis / Dr. Deane / A Husband
Mathieu Amalric	...	Thadeusz M___ / Ostler
Noel Burton	...	Wolf / Pilot / The Captain
Geraldine Chaplin	...	The Master Passion / Nursemaid / Aunt Chance
Paul Ahmarani	...	Dr. Deng / Speedy
Caroline Dhavernas	...	Gong
Jacques Nolot	...	Bent / Minister of the Interior
Slimane Dazi	...	Baron Pappenheim
Maria de Medeiros	...	The Blind Mother / Clotilde
Charlotte Rampling	...	The Ostler's Mother
Victor Andres Turgeon-Trelles	...	Saplingjack 1 / Listening Man / Pancho (as Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon)

Storyline

A never-before-seen woodsman mysteriously appears aboard a submarine that's been trapped deep under water for months with an unstable cargo. As the terrified crew make their way through the corridors of the doomed vessel, they find themselves on a voyage into the origins of their darkest fears.

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Plot Keywords:

submarine | woodsman | lack of oxygen | captain | room | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 2015 (UK)

Also Known As:

Seances

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$696, 19 February 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$34,043, 6 March 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Phi, Buffalo Gal Pictures, Kidam

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Each sequence of The Forbidden Room is based on reviews and summaries of "lost" films, mostly from America in the early to mid-20th century. These films were destroyed intentionally or by natural degredation of the original film stock, and will likely never be seen again. Guy Maddin realized the only way he'd be able to see these lost movies was to make them himself.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marv: Hello. I'm Marv. Today, we're gonna discuss baths - more specifically, how to take one. Baths have been around for a long time. The ancient Romans built fancy ones, like Caracalla. In the Middle Ages, the were called "stews"... 'cause you had to be stewed in order to take one. They were open to both sexes. Today, the Japanese have bisexual bathing
[winks]
Marv: . Here in America, we didn't bathe so much until recently. The Saturday-night bath used to be a ritual. Today, it's more like ...

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Connections

References How to Take a Bath (1937)

User Reviews

Berlin to Bogata

On the face of it, this silly story within story romp through Saturday morning films of a previous generation should be ignored.

It is not a pastiche - and the strange punk lurid dream style is both art and annoyance. But the style is to no useful end.

And to force an audience to revisit bad early American cinema 'somewhere between Berlin and Bogotá' for 2 hours, with gentle mocking of early 20th century sexual strictures, is quite unfair.

It plays out as being more appropriate for a repeating segment in a high concept sketch show than a cinema production. A short experiment of 15 minutes maybe. But to inflict real people to this at full film length seems strangely tragic.