[Film Review] The Oak Room (2020) Is a Story Worth a Thousand Words

On a dark and stormy night, a figure stumbles down a staircase into a closed bar. A bell dings as the bartender barks “We’re closed!” A man sits down at the bar and offers to tell a story for a drink. Thus begins The Oak Room, a Canadian thriller directed by Cody Calahan (Let Her Out). 

There are painfully few genre films that give dialogue and acting precedence over more showy tropes. Oftentimes those aspects of a film are sacrificed for special effects and jarring sound cues – think of how often you are told how to feel in a movie by the music. The Oak Room is based on screenwriter Peter Genoway’s play of the same name, and the dramatic nature of the blocking, sparse action, and words that feel like riddles lends itself to a truly intriguing adaptation.

R.J. Mitte (Breaking Bad) stars as Steve, a young man coming home after years of wandering and searching for, something. In the middle of the night Steve walks into the bar that Paul (Peter Outerbridge, Orphan Black) owns. Paul is immediately upset at Steve’s return. It is revealed that Steve’s father has died in the time that he’s been away, and Paul expresses his distrust and anger toward Steve early on, making it clear that he feels Steve betrayed his father by his absence. They volley insults back and forth, though Steve seems aggressively outgunned. 

Peter Outerbridge’s portrayal of Paul is outstanding. He is layered, his eyes flash from anger to sympathy in a second, he is a weathered bartender who has heard one too many stories. It soon becomes clear that Steve owes both Paul and another man money. The ticking clock appears to begin the moment Paul calls the other man to whom Steve owes money, dragging him out of bed to come down to the bar. Little does Paul know, the clock really began ticking before Steve ever entered the bar. 

The Oak Room is the perfect example of a slow burn. It invests in story development and character interaction, building tension in the claustrophobic setting of a closed bar in the middle of a snowstorm. It is a different kind of revenge story. A well-placed word that incites suspicion nearly sets off a fight, only for the situation to be diffused by a small smile. A friendly joke dripping with sarcasm, a glare, a wince. The subtlety at play in The Oak Room is its greatest strength. The viewer will want to follow Steve’s eyes as they flick across the room. They will want to watch the story within the story for clues that may or may explain exactly what is going on. 

There are no good guys or bad guys in this story. There are people who make bad decisions and others who pay for them. There is a theme built into this story, but it’s hiding, until the very last minute of the film, hiding in the background, watching as unspeakable acts unfold. Just like we are. We are listening to the story, we are never going to believe what happened at The Oak Room, until it’s staring us in the face, refusing to allow us to look away. And believe me, it’s worth it to keep watching.

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