BACKROOMS -- Questions Without Answers, and Better for It

Review by Chadd Clubine

Backrooms is many things at once, and it’s all the more compelling for refusing to provide easy answers. Designed to leave you questioning what you’ve seen, the film showcases extraordinary talent across the board, from its cast to its production design. Its abrupt ending lingers long after the credits roll, inviting reflection and debate. It’s best experienced with others, as the film practically demands discussion and interpretation. More unsettling than outright horrific, Backrooms leaves behind a creeping sense of unease that burrows into your mind and stays there, regardless of how you ultimately feel about the experience.

Four years ago, YouTuber Kane Parsons released The Backrooms on YouTube at 16 or 17 years old. Now, after being hired by A24 as the studio’s youngest theatrical director, he has expanded his vision from a viral web series to the big screen. What’s remarkable isn’t just that someone so young created something so conceptually unique, but that he infused it with genuine thematic depth. Even if the ending leaves you wanting more, there’s no denying the care Parsons brings to the film, communicating crucial information through visual storytelling rather than exposition. It serves as a compelling reminder of why cinema works best when it shows rather than tells.

Parsons balances his two leads, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, with sharp precision. Although Ejiofor receives top billing, both performances carry equal weight, and there’s a strong case to be made that Reinsve is the film’s true protagonist. While the film’s themes are open to interpretation, obsession emerges as its clearest throughline. Both characters enter this newly discovered space with seemingly noble intentions, yet neither truly needs to be there. Their pursuit of something greater—meaning, purpose, fulfillment—ultimately reveals the hollowness of their ambitions. The liminal spaces become more than a mystery to solve; they act as mirrors, reflecting the characters’ deepest desires and the emptiness that lies beneath them.

For such a young director, it’s especially impressive to see the performances Parsons draws from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. In fact, both actors may have delivered some of the year’s finest performances. While portions of the first act feature dialogue that can initially feel somewhat unnatural, those choices ultimately serve a larger purpose, deepening our understanding of the characters as the story unfolds. It’s in the later stretches of the film where both performances truly come alive, revealing new layers as the characters become increasingly shaped by the strange world they’ve entered. By the third act, the tension is almost unbearable, with Ejiofor and Reinsve delivering emotionally charged performances that will leave your palms sweating.

It should come as no surprise that the film boasts exceptional production design. Every detail suggests that Parsons and his crew had a complete understanding of this world, even if they wisely choose not to reveal all of it. The film offers only glimpses into its mysteries, rewarding attentive viewers with subtle details that heighten its sense of unease. Miss a moment, and you may miss something genuinely unsettling. The cinematography is equally effective, carefully controlling what the audience sees—and, more importantly, what it doesn’t. Sounds often emerge from beyond the frame, creating a constant sense of dread as you wait to discover whether something is actually there, mixed in with the creepy and effective score. The handheld POV sequences add another layer of immersion, placing viewers directly within these disorienting liminal spaces. The result is a world that feels hauntingly tangible, one that captivates on screen, but is clearly a place no one would ever want to encounter in real life.

Overall, Backrooms feels like exactly the kind of film modern cinema needs—a bold, thought-provoking work that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. Parsons crafts an experience that invites reflection rather than providing easy answers, trusting the audience to engage with its mysteries. From its assured direction and exceptional production design to the outstanding performances at its center, the film showcases remarkable craftsmanship in every department. Its ambiguous ending raises more questions than it answers, but that uncertainty is precisely what makes it so compelling. Backrooms is the rare kind of film that demands discussion, interpretation, and revisitation long after you've left the theater.

Backrooms is now playing in theaters!

RATING: 4/5