Room 203 begins with promise. It teases itself as a claustrophobic single-setting type movie, with a lot of suspense and dread. Instead, what is given is a slow-moving story with few scares or any kind of real tension. There are long stretches of the movie where not much happens, and when something does happen, it doesn’t really make up for the lack of action.

Kim (Francesca Xuereb) and Izzy (Viktoria Vinyarska) are best friends moving in together for the first time. Kim is a journalism student at a nearby college and Izzy is an aspiring actress searching for her first big break. The apartment they move into is impressive, with a lot of space, a bank of stained glass windows, and a very mysterious hole in the bedroom wall. They are very clearly excited about being out on their own for what is probably the first time, and do the sort of the things that come with newfound independence: have margarita parties when they feel like it, stay up late into the night talking about everything, going to the local bar and meeting new people.

Hidden in the background of this exciting time for the new roommates is a dark event in the past when Izzy attempted suicide. Kim carries a level of guilt over the attempt and does her best to keep an eye on her friend, so it becomes apparent when Izzy starts acting in strange and dangerous ways. Searching for an explanation and to help Izzy, Kim and fellow journalism student/love interest Ian (Eric Wiegand) begin searching the history of the apartment, and what they uncover suggests something far more sinister to Izzy’s behavior.

The subtextual idea present throughout, of Kim believing she needs to take care of Izzy and eventually save her, is an interesting, well-thought idea to build the story around. Unfortunately, this one strong aspect doesn’t overshadow the fact that Room 203 isn’t very scary or eventful. There was room for more set pieces throughout, to build the dread more, instead of mostly saving it for the last 20 minutes or so. 

The performances of the two lead actresses, Francesca Xuereb and Viktoria Vinyarska, are the strongest aspects of Room 203. Xuereb is fantastic playing a twenty-something standing at a lot of crossroads in her life. A budding career, the first time being on her own, the worry she carries for her best friend. Xuereb is convincing in all of Kim’s emotions and fears. Vinyasa plays her role with a range of convincing emotions as well, as someone who is recovering from major trauma in her past. The best chemistry is between Xuereb and Eric Weigand as her love interest, Ian. Every time they’re onscreen together the scene pops a little more and giving them more time together would have been a huge benefit. 

The direction and acting are solid, but the story and its execution leave something to be desired. While slow-moving doesn’t always carry a negative connotation, not building an effective atmosphere of overall dread to cause uneasiness makes the slow-moving seem even slower. With so many great relationships between the characters, the lack of scares found in Room 203 seems even more pronounced. 

4 out of 10