| Chatroom | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Hideo Nakata |
| Produced by | Laura Hastings-Smith Alison Owen |
| Written by | Enda Walsh |
| Starring | Aaron Johnson Hannah Murray Matthew Beard |
| Music by | Kenji Kawai |
| Cinematography | Benoît Delhomme |
| Editing by | Masahiro Hirakubo |
| Studio | Ruby Films |
| Distributed by | Pathé Revolver Entertainment (UK) |
| Release date(s) | 14 May 2010 (Cannes) 22 December 2010 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Chatroom is a 2010 British drama thriller film directed by Hideo Nakata[1] about five teenagers who meet on the internet and encourage each other's bad behaviour. The film is based on the play Chatroom by Enda Walsh.[2]
Contents |
William (Aaron Johnson) is a depressed teen recovering from self-mutilation and regularly goes online to chat rooms. He one day decides to open a chat room himself and calls it "Chelsea Teens!" and quickly makes friends. He meets Jim (Matthew Beard), another depressed kid, Eva (Imogen Poots), a model, Emily (Hannah Murray), a goody two-shoes and Mo (Daniel Kaluuya), a normal kid. There is no real subject matter in "Chelsea Teens!" but instead focuses on the lives of each teen as they talk. Even though they only see each other through text, the film depicts them in an old hotel-like room and actually having contact. William is a loner who lives with his parents and solely lives his life on the internet. Jim is another loner who has feelings of depression from his father leaving him and his mother. Eva is constantly made fun of by her co-workers about her appearance. Emily feels distant from her parents and does not feel she gets enough attention. Mo thinks he is a paedophile because he is attracted to his friend's prepubescent sister, Kesha (Rebecca McLintock). William sees it to himself to help them in a crude manner. He photo-shops embarrassing pictures of Eva's co-worker and posts online. He convinces Jim to flush down his anti-depressants to make himself feel more relaxed. He tells Emily to do some dirty work and make it look like somebody is harassing her family which brings her parents to protect her more. He tells Mo to tell his friend Si (Jacob Anderson) the truth but this backfires when Si calls him a pervert and attacks him. William becomes darker and more menacing and even begins to watch people commit suicide. He then takes it upon himself to make Jim commit suicide. His plans are halted though when his computer and phone are taken away from him by his father who, when looking through William's computer, finds one of the suicide videos. William gets his backup computer and phone and goes after Jim who meets up with him at London Zoo. Mo and the others find out about William's intended actions and go to stop him, meeting up in person and trying to follow William and Jim around London. Jim makes it to the Zoo first but decides to not do it. He tries to leave but William goes right after him. William catches Jim but he refuses to shoot himself and throws the gun to the floor. When William gets it and comes back, Eva punches him and the rest of the crew comes followed by the police. William tries to escape but only is able to climb up some crates. He then jumps in front of the speeding train behind the crates and is killed. The teens leave without talking to each other, William's account is shut down and the credits roll.
The film was shot in early 2010 at Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, Surrey,[3] with some outdoor scenes shot in Camden and Primrose Hill. The film is based on a screenplay by Enda Walsh, who wrote the stage play of the same name.[4]
The film was premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.[5] The theatrical release was in late 2010.[6] It premiered in France in late summer 2010.[7] In September 2010, the film acquired a British distributor. Revolver Entertainment also planned a special online marketing campaign for the film.[8]
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