Dir. Jeremy Saulnier | Now Streaming On: Hulu | Rating: 4/5

Let’s get this out of the way for anyone who, like me, didn’t google this before seeing this film in 2015 – a green room is the waiting area of a venue reserved for performers. Now that we’ve got that context – Green Room is the first A24 film I watched and still a personal favorite. Between the suspense of the storyline and the darkness of the subject matter, this is a fun watch. The movie twists and turns so often, you never truly know where the characters are going to end up. ⁠
⁠
The main cast of the Aint Rights, though harshly lacking diversity, is smartly written and has an incredibly believable dynamic. When you trap a group of people in a room for almost an hour, you have to make sure the characters are solid and engaging or you’ll be grating on the audience’s last nerve. ⁠
⁠
Director Jeremy Saulnier took on a bold challenge tackling the contrast of the punk and neo-nazi black metal subcultures, since an inaccurate interpretation of either group could polarize audiences. He pulls from his own experience as hardcore punk frontman to sell the authenticity of the community dynamics between the conflicting casts of the Aint Rights and Darcy’s skinhead gang. (Not to mention, Darcy is played by the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart, which is always a plus.)⁠
⁠
The love and care that went behind into this passion project is palatable. The Green Room is an exciting and gritty version of the cat-and-mouse storyline that traditionally is so incredibly boring. Watch this with a group of friends and place your bets on which band members make it to the end of the film. ⁠
⁠
Know Before You Watch: Features flashing lights, death, blood, animal violence. ⁠