A room full of filmmakers with remarkably little insight into the world outside of their bubble.

Lubna Playoust creates a sequel to Wim Wenders 1982 Room 666 that asked movie directors of the time, from Jean-Luc Godard to Steven Spielberg, their view on the future of cinema. This follow up replicates the format 40 years later.

The room is a hotel room, the camera is static. Most sit and talk to the camera, some confident, some uneasy. Some pace the room and one, (Kirill Sererennikov), delightfully changes his shirt and dances without uttering a word. Many pontificate and the older they are, the men particularly, the more they seem wedded to a world where they belong to the small number of gatekeepers of making and showing film.

There are some refreshing takes – Ninja Thyberg talks about the Cannes Film Festival as an oppressive force, Rebecca Zlotowski (I think) is one of the few to talk about privilege and accessibility, and Ruben Östlund gives a great metaphor while talking about an Egyptian all-you-can-eat resort.

Ultimately, though, this meta navelgazing doesn’t really make the most of its medium.

Director: Lubna Playoust
Origin: France
Language: English, French with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

---

Have you seen this film? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.