Chatroom
Japan, United Kingdom
2010
97 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
Synopsis
When jaded teens Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online, they’re seduced by his charisma. But William isn’t what he seems. He’s calculating and manipulative and doesn’t have time for people in the real world. Jim is vulnerable and he has no idea how dangerous his new friendship with William will be. When Jim confesses he’s on anti-depressants, William knows he’s found a victim. He vows to help Jim off his drugs, and the rest of the group fall in line. What begins as friendly advice to help Jim becomes twisted and Eva and Mo realise the deadly game William’s playing, but the wheels are in motion. Jim is set on a path of self- destruction, and is going to do the unthinkable. As Eva, Emily and Mo try to save Jim, William begins a terrifying game of cat and mouse chasing them across the internet, shutting down their systems, and cutting them off from his victim. Fantasy meets reality when William and Jim are face to face in rush hour on the underground. Without the faceless security of the online world, everything becomes real. It’s now a race against time to save Jim, but the clock is ticking… and we fear someone must die. –IMDb
Director
Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata (中田 秀夫 Nakata Hideo; born July 19, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker.
Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring (1998), Ring 2 (1999) and Dark Water (2002). Several of these were remade in America as The Ring (2002), Dark Water (2005), and The Ring Two.
Nakata was scheduled to make his English-language debut with True Believers, but later pulled out. He was later offered by DreamWorks to direct the movie The Ring Two (2005), which he accepted, making his English-language debut with a sequel to a remake of his own film.
Nakata made his initial breakthrough into film with Ghost Actress (1996). Although failing to attain any large-scale success, the film was responsible for leading to his directing of Ring.
Other Nakata films include Sleeping Bride (2000); Curse, Death and Spirit; and Chaos (2000). He directed the psychological thriller The Incite Mill which premiered… read more
Wall
Displaying 4 of 5 wall posts.
JapeMan
3Jul11
A film most people seem to hate but I thought it was brilliant. It's not a horror movie so don't go in expecting that.
Melike Tomris Önder likes this
matteo
30Dec10
Visually speaking, it's brilliant. Representing the chatroom as hotel spaces is very clever. Narrative-wise, however, the film is a disaster. This could have become for cinematic representations of online interaction what Mamoru Oshii's Avalon was to video games. Sadly, its patronizing, moralizing angle is more irritating than challenging. I miss Kurosawa's Pulse.
Syrtha likes this
Related Films
Fans
Displaying 5 of 53 fans.
Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
Cannes 2010. Hideo Nakata's "Chatroom"
By David Hudson on May 15, 2010
"Hideo Nakata's laughably dated Chatroom finds a quintet of annoying British teens, including Kick-Ass' Aaron Johnson, gathering in virtual
pages from a cold island: BRIGHT FUTURE?
By Neil Young on May 3, 2010
Above: Clio Bernard's The Arbor. An entirely subjective rundown of the 20+ most-anticipated British films scheduled to have their first public
Sitges 2010: CHATROOM Review
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
[Our thanks to Guillem Rosset for the following review.]There was a time when Hideo Nakata revolutionized the horror genre with a long-haired spooky girl that crept out of a well. Thanks to The Ring, half
Cannes 2010: A Trailer For Hideo Nakata's CHATROOM
By Twitchfilm.com on April 29, 2011
When jaded teens Jim, Eva, Emily, and Mo meet William online, they’re seduced by his charisma. But William isn’t what he seems. He’s calculating and manipulative and doesn’t have time for people in the
Stills from Hideo Nakata's English language thriller 'Chatroom'
By Twitchfilm.com on April 29, 2011
A quartet of stills – actually three from the film and one of Nakata himself – from Hideo Nakata’s English language thriller Chatroom popped up online thanks to Wildgrounds. As is the trend they don’t
Sitges 2010: CHATROOM Review
By Twitchfilm.net on October 8, 2010
[Our thanks to Guillem Rosset for the following review.]There was a time when Hideo Nakata revolutionized the horror genre with a long-haired spooky girl that crept out of a well. Thanks to The Ring, half
Stills from Hideo Nakata's English language thriller 'Chatroom'
By Twitchfilm.net on June 28, 2010
A quartet of stills – actually three from the film and one of Nakata himself – from Hideo Nakata’s English language thriller Chatroom popped up online thanks to Wildgrounds. As is the trend they don’t
Cannes 2010: A Trailer For Hideo Nakata's CHATROOM
By Twitchfilm.net on June 28, 2010
When jaded teens Jim, Eva, Emily, and Mo meet William online, they’re seduced by his charisma. But William isn’t what he seems. He’s calculating and manipulative and doesn’t have time for people in the
Lists
Displaying 5 of 39 lists.
Reviews
No reviews yet — Write the first
Forum
Displaying
0 discussion topics.