Green Room
U.S.A. 2015

Opening 2 Jun 2016

Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Writing credits: Jeremy Saulnier
Principal actors: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner

The Ain’t Rights” punk band is on its way to a gig in the back country of Oregon, USA. The musicians arrive last minute, with just one drop of gas left in the tank. This is a problem, since the plan is to leave as soon as the show is over. It was rather courageous to agree to this concert in the first place, considering that the audience consists solely of their arch rivals: Nazi Skinheads; even the club house looks leeringly dangerous. As predicted, they are forced to stay beyond their welcome and find themselves locked up in a backroom. The Nazi Skinhead leader Dracy (Stewart) plans to hold them until he decides their fate; after all, they witnessed Big Justin (Edelstein) stab Emily (Tunes) for disloyalty concerning Dracy’s cousin Daniel (Webber). Amber (Poots), a Nazi Skinhead bride, is also locked in with them, as punishment for other actions of disrespect. But it’s not just about the murder; it’s about heroin. Inside the punks discuss ways of escape. Outside the N-S gang members discuss ways of dispersing all clues to any crimes, as well as their own getaway.

Green Room follows a similar film by director Saulnier called Blue Ruin, also about losers and murder. Green Room has the advantage of more than 24 songs, including a cover version of Nazi Punks Fuck Off by the Dead Kennedys. The film takes place in just one night, so that scenes are dark, which leaves much to the imagination, however, the follow-up murders are not imagined, even in the dark. Start counting corpses after about 10 minutes into the film.

In the “olden days” there were Nazis and Skinheads. Now we have Nazi-Skinheads, although there isn’t much improvement. Violence is high. “I can’t die here with you” is definitely an understatement. A dog appropriately named the German word Fleischwolf plays a role as do paintball and red shoe laces.

Green Room premiered in 2015 Cannes. It played throughout Germany in the April 2016 travelling Fantasy Film festival, before opening mainstream the beginning of June. (Becky Tan)