BACKROOMS

Backrooms (2026)

Directed by: Kane Parsons

Both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 will stay at the back of your mind for quite a while.

It stays there inside your brain, demanding to take some space as you formulate all possible theories.

The first sequence instantly establishes how grand and wide-reaching the plot is. There’s an assurance that everything is real and tangible. There’s no room left for imagination.

The first-person POV in some shots feels interactive, resembling a video game where the goal is to escape the maze.

Whenever steps are taken forward, it becomes thrilling and adventurous. The talking sessions do the opposite, slowing the momentum.

Roles and occupations of the main characters complement the story. Architect draws the map. Therapist guides the way. While it’s easy to define them through conventional lens, the film adds many layers to the characters.

From those layers, new floors emerge and more rooms expand endlessly. Some pieces remain recognizable, while most transform into something else.

The film sets the stakes incredibly high, indirectly promising a grand payoff by the end. It creates the expectation that every uncertainty will eventually be addressed. There’s a sense that the room will be filled with answers.

The ending will shock you for both the right and wrong reasons, leaving you craving more of what it still has in store. It compels you to question everything in existence—whether it be inside or outside the room.

Because the film reaches a point where it no longer knows when to stop asking questions, it drifts aimlessly through the unknown.

Even when everything promises to be real, imagination remains to be the limit. The elephant in the room gets bigger. Backstories are there, but they lead to more questions than answers.

𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 opens doors to endless possibilities and inventions. This room will eventually earn its rightful name. It just hasn’t been coined yet. Right now, it may not make perfect sense. But in the future, it all will.

One day, what lingers at the back of our minds will find itself at the forefront of our reality.

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, Avan Jogia

Screenplay by: Will Soodik (based on the web series by Kane Parsons)

Presented by: A24, 21 Laps Entertainment, Atomic Monster, The North Road Company, Phobos

Release Date: June 3, 2026 in Philippine cinemas

A Movie Reviee by: Goldwin Reviews