Room, Actors, Action!

This article is about a format of story-telling which is very difficult to film, but such a joy to watch. I am referring to shows/films, especially thrillers, which are mostly filmed inside one room or venue, with minimal props and a few actors. Obviously then, the actors are truly the heroes. Here are two you must watch on Netflix:

The Guilty (Film): This is a remake of a Danish film about a senior cop (Jack Gyllenhall), who we learn has been demoted on a past, very serious transgression, and is on 911 duty at LAPD he’s literally manning the emergency calls. He deals with calls adroitly, using his sharp, cop acumen to decide the help the caller needs.

But then finally comes a call from a woman who is clearly under a lot of stress and we learn that she has been abducted and is in a vehicle on the highway with her abductor, unable to speak freely. How he handles the call and finally unravels her story forms the rest of this 90-minute long, taut thriller.

Interspersed is his own story of why he was demoted, and by the end of the movie he comes to a momentous decision, the reason for the film’s title. So, the film is shot inside the 911 centre, with a bunch of voices on phone interacting with Gyllenhall. You never see the callers and very few shots of the crime scene. This keeps the narrative slick and super suspenseful. And of course, a lot hinges on Gyllenhall’s acting chops and he doesn’t let the viewer down. 

Criminal (Series): ‘Criminal’ has four series, set in UK, Germany, Spain and France. Each series has 3 episodes and each stand-alone episode deals with a crime. The USP is that it’s set in one interrogation room, with just the suspect, the lawyer and two detectives questioning the suspect, with another set of detectives observing from behind the one-way mirror.

The entire crime is presented, investigated and solved in that room with just the aid of the interrogation, some photos and images on a TV. The interplay between the detectives in each series is fascinating. The series hinges on the acting alone, as there are very few other props (not unless you can call the malfunctioning vending machine one!). I found it really interesting and as usual, binge-watched. Start with the UK one, followed by the Spanish, German and French, is my recommendation.