Green Room (film)

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This article is about the 2015 American film. For the 1978 French film, see The Green Room (film).

Green Room
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeremy Saulnier
Written byJeremy Saulnier
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySean Porter
Edited byJulia Bloch
Music by
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • May 17, 2015 (2015-05-17) (Cannes)
  • April 15, 2016 (2016-04-15) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[3]
Box office$3.8 million[4]

Green Room is a 2015 American horror-thriller film[5][6] written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, and produced by Neil Kopp, Victor Moyers and Anish Savjani. Starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner and Patrick Stewart, the film focuses on a punk band who find themselves attacked by neo-Nazi skinheads after witnessing a murder at a remote club in the Pacific Northwest. The film came from Saulnier's desire to direct a thriller set in a green room.

Principal photography took place during October 2014 in Portland, Oregon. The film was financed and produced by Broad Green Pictures. Green Room was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[7] At the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, the film finished third in the balloting for the Grolsch People's Choice Midnight Madness Award.[8] The film began a limited release on April 15, 2016, before being widely released on May 13 through A24.[9] It appeared on many critics' lists as one of the best films of 2016 and received a 2017 Empire Award nomination for Best Horror, but grossed just $3 million against a budget of $5 million.

Plot[edit]

Pat, Sam, Reece and Tiger are members of a punk band, the Ain't Rights, travelling through the Pacific Northwest. After their gig is cancelled, a local radio host, Tad, arranges a show through his cousin, Daniel, at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar in the woods outside Portland, opening for the Nazi metal band Cowcatcher.

After the show, Pat returns to the green room to retrieve Sam's phone. He sees the body of a girl, Emily, who has been stabbed to death by Werm, member of Cowcatcher. Pat calls the police, but the bar employees Gabe and Big Justin confiscate the band's phones and hold them captive in the green room. Gabe pays a skinhead to stab another to create a cover story for the police who respond to the call. He consults with the bar owner and skinhead leader, Darcy, who decides to kill the band to eliminate witnesses.

The band overpowers Big Justin and holds him hostage, taking a boxcutter from his pocket and his pistol. They negotiate through the door with Darcy, who asks them to surrender the pistol. Pat agrees, but as he opens the door, Emily's friend Amber realizes it is a trap. Darcy and his men slash at Pat's arm with machetes until he drops the gun, but he closes the door. Big Justin attacks the band, but Reece chokes him into unconsciousness. When Big Justin surprises Reece by awaking again, Reece chokes Big Justin again and Amber kills him with the boxcutter.

Searching for a way out, the band discovers an underground drug lab, but the only exit is locked from the outside. Arming themselves with improvised weapons, they exit the green room into the empty club. A skinhead, Clark, unleashes an attack dog, which kills Tiger. Amber and Pat drive the dog away with microphone feedback. Reece flees through a window but is hacked to death by a skinhead.

Pat, Amber, and Sam retreat to the green room. Darcy sends Daniel into the club to kill the band, who Darcy claims murdered Emily. Amber tells Daniel that Werm murdered Emily after discovering Daniel and Emily planned to leave the skinheads. Daniel agrees to help them escape and leads the band into the club, where he is shot dead by the bartender. The group kills the bartender and takes his shotgun, but Clark's dog kills Sam. Darcy's men wound Amber, who scrambles back to the green room with Pat.

Darcy sends the skinheads Jonathan and Kyle to kill Pat and Amber, and he leaves with the bodies, planning to stage their deaths to appear as if they were killed trespassing. Pat lures Jonathan into the drug lab while Kyle remains in the green room. Amber ambushes Kyle and cuts his throat with the boxcutter. As Pat fights Jonathan, Amber sneaks up and shoots him. Gabe enters the green room to find his companions dead and surrenders to Pat and Amber.

Holding Gabe at gunpoint, the group trek through the woods. When Pat hears Darcy and his men staging the crime scene, he and Amber go after them. Gabe volunteers to go into a farm and call the police. Pat and Amber kill Clark and another skinhead. Fleeing, Darcy pulls a revolver from his jacket but is shot dead by Pat and Amber. Pat and Amber sit on the side of the road and wait for the police.

Cast[edit]

  • Anton Yelchin as Pat, the bassist of the Ain't Rights
  • Imogen Poots as Amber, Emily's friend
  • Alia Shawkat as Sam, the guitarist of the Ain't Rights
  • Joe Cole as Reece, the drummer of the Ain't Rights
  • Callum Turner as Tiger, the singer of the Ain't Rights
  • Patrick Stewart as Darcy Banker, the leader of the skinheads
  • Mark Webber as Daniel, a skinhead and Tad's cousin in a relationship with Emily
  • Eric Edelstein as Big Justin, a skinhead bouncer
  • Macon Blair as Gabe, a skinhead and club employee
  • Kai Lennox as Clark, a skinhead and dogfight breeder
  • David W. Thompson as Tad, a radio host and promoter
  • Brent Werzner as Werm, a member of Cowcatcher
  • Taylor Tunes as Emily, a skinhead and Amber's friend
  • Samuel Summer as Jonathan, a skinhead
  • Mason Knight as Kyle, a skinhead
  • Colton Ruscheinsky as Alan, a skinhead
  • Jacob Kasch as the bartender
  • Thomas Bell as man with cell phone

Production[edit]

The film came from Saulnier's desire to create a thriller set in a green room, calling the idea "an obsession".[10] Saulnier created a short film set in one as part of a 48-hour film challenge in 2007 which involved the supernatural and according to Saulnier was "Really kind of fun and hammy." However, he still wanted a chance to do his green room movie "the right way".[10] Although the film features a large amount of violence and what Saulnier calls "full frontal gore", he has gone on record as stating that it is not "sadistic", and that every act of violence apart from the initiating incident is done with a reason.[11] As such Saulnier made sure that there were no "gratuitous close ups" of recently deceased characters.[11]

On May 22, 2014, it was announced that Broad Green Pictures would finance and produce the film directed and written by Jeremy Saulnier, with Film Science.[12] Anish Savjani, Neil Kopp and Victor Moyers would produce the film.[12] On October 16, Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots joined the lead cast of the film, along with Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Joe Cole, Macon Blair and Mark Webber.[13] On October 21, Patrick Stewart was added to the cast to play Darcy Banker, the leader of a violent white supremacist group,[14] while other cast includes Kai Lennox, Eric Edelstein and Taylor Tunes.[14]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography began in October 2014 in Portland, Oregon.[15][16] The location for Tad's house was in Astoria, Oregon, on the Oregon coast, and the forest scenes were filmed in the Mount Hood National Forest.[17] Filming concluded in late November 2014.[18]

Music[edit]

Saulnier, who used to play in a hardcore punk band called "No Turn on Fred,"[19] wanted the film to "stand the test of real musicians scrutinizing every frame."[20] He enlisted Hutch Harris of American indie rock band The Thermals to teach the actors the musical parts that they would be performing onscreen.[21] The film's soundtrack is largely populated by heavy metal artists like Midnight rather than white nationalist bands. Saulnier says that he wanted the club to have more of a Motörhead-like atmosphere, and that he had no intention of financially supporting white nationalist artists.[22]

In addition to the songs appearing on the soundtrack, Green Room features several other punk and metal tracks, including Fear's "Legalize Drugs" (1995), Napalm Death's "Suffer the Children" (1990), Obituary's "Paralyzed with Fear" (2014), Poison Idea's "Taken By Surprise" (1990), Slayer's "War Ensemble" (1990), and Bad Brains' "Right Brigade" (1982).[23]

Green Room (Original Soundtrack Album)
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedApril 15, 2016 (2016-04-15)
GenrePunk rock
Length59:47
LabelMilan Records
Green Room (Original Soundtrack Album)[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Length
1."Weapons Ready"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair2:17
2."What Have I Become?"
  • Benjamin Macensky
  • Ezra Mihalcin
  • Matt Mihalcin
The Ain't Rights2:19
3."Corpus Rottus"Corpus RottusCorpus Rottus3:02
4."Oregon Coast"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair0:50
5."Balefire"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair0:51
6."Prowling Leather"Jamie WaltersMidnight3:38
7."Nazi Punks Fuck Off"
The Ain't Rights1:07
8."Red Laces"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair2:00
9."Pour A Floor"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair2:38
10."Blades And Fangs"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair3:15
11."Coronary"Sam JonesThe Ain't Rights3:03
12."Inevitable Failure"HochstedderHochstedder3:13
13."Mosh Pit"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair0:55
14."Mopping Up"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair2:18
15."Let's Pretend"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair3:10
16."Savage Pressure"BattletornBattletorn1:04
17."Takin' Out The Trash"
  • Christian Blunda
  • Patsy Gelb
Patsy's Rats3:17
18."Melted"
  • Christian Blunda
  • Patsy Gelb
Patsy's Rats2:44
19."Odin Himself"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair6:10
20."Fresh Air"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair1:38
21."The Residence"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair3:10
22."We Need The Police"
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Brooke Blair and Will Blair1:46
23."Sinister Purpose"John Cameron FogertyCreedence Clearwater Revival3:20
24."Toxic Evolution"Sam JonesThe Ain't Rights2:02
Total length:59:47

Release[edit]

Actor Anton Yelchin at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Green Room

On October 29, 2014, WestEnd Films acquired the international rights to the film.[25] The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2015.[26] Shortly after, it was announced A24 had acquired distribution rights to the film.[27] The film screened on opening night of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, on September 10, 2015.[28]

The film was originally to open in a limited release on April 1, 2016, before opening in a wide release on April 15, 2016.[29] However, it was moved to April 15, in limited release, and May 13 wide.[9]

Home media[edit]

Lionsgate, as the home media distributor of A24 releases, released Green Room on Blu-ray and DVD on July 12, 2016.[30] The end credits of the film's home media and subsequent releases feature an addended dedication to the memory of star Yelchin, who died on June 19, 2016.[31]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

According to Box Office Mojo, Green Room opened at #30 in its limited release, premiering in 3 theaters, culminating over $87,984. In its official wide release, the film premiered at 777 theaters, taking the #16 rank on opening weekend, and grossing more than $411,376.[4]

Critical response[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 250 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Green Room delivers unapologetic genre thrills with uncommon intelligence and powerfully acted élan."[5] Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat and Macon Blair's performances and called the film "a wonderfully nasty, gruesome, jagged-edge gem of a horror film" that has "first-rate" cinematography, set design, soundtrack, and editing.[33] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail awarded it a full four stars and wrote, "Jeremy Saulnier (Murder Party, Blue Ruin) continues one of the best streaks in independent horror with this terrifying and inventive thriller."[34] Lenika Cruz of The Atlantic said it's "a tense gore-fest, one that’s as grimy and claustrophobic as the titular room. But scrape off the scum, and you’ll find Green Room full of visual artistry, dark humor, smart writing, and glints of humanity".[35] IGN awarded it a score of 9 out of 10, saying, "This follow-up to the brilliant Blue Ruin pits a rock band against white supremacists with ace, ultra-violent results."[36]

Jeffrey Bloomer of Slate favorably compared the film's "genre maturity", "amoral survivalism and malleable sense of good and evil", "brutal efficiency" and "weary humor" to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 and praised the cast, writing "If the world knows any justice[...] then the Screen Actors Guild will remember this cast when it doles out its awards next year".[37] James Berardinelli concludes the film is "for anyone who enjoys sitting through 90 tense minutes and feeling the attendant adrenaline rush. It’s like a well-constructed horror movie" that's "As intimate as it is unnerving".[38] Guy Lodge of Variety called it "a technically sharp backwoods horror-thriller that lacks a human element".[6] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it's entertaining but "less disciplined, less original and less memorable work than Blue Ruin".[39]

Top ten lists[edit]

Green Room was listed on many film critics' top ten lists.[40]

Accolades[edit]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
2015 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival H.R. Giger «Narcisse» Award Green Room Won [41]
Audience Award Green Room Won
Denis-de-Rougemont Youth Award Green Room Won
Deauville Film Festival Grand Prix Green Room Nominated [42]
Toronto International Film Festival Grolsch People's Choice Midnight Madness Award Green Room 3rd place [43]
Austin Fantastic Fest Audience Award Green Room 1st place [44]
Festival du nouveau cinéma Temps Ø People's Choice Award Green Room Won [45]
IndieWire Critics' Poll Most Anticipated Film of 2016 Green Room 3rd place [46]
2016 BloodGuts UK Horror Awards Best Original Film Green Room Nominated [47]
Best Actor Anton Yelchin Nominated [48]
Best Screenplay/Script Jeremy Saulnier Nominated [49]
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Independent Films Green Room Won [50]
Fright Meter Awards Best Horror Movie Green Room Nominated [51]
Best Actor in a Leading Role Anton Yelchin Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Imogen Poots Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Patrick Stewart Nominated
Best Score
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
 Nominated
2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Film Green Room Nominated [52]
Best Actor Anton Yelchin Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Patrick Stewart Nominated
Best Makeup & SFX Wayne Eaton Won
Empire Awards Best Horror Green Room Nominated [53]
Seattle Film Critics Awards Best Villain Patrick Stewart Nominated [54]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "GREEN ROOM (18)". British Board of Film Classification. January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Green Room (2015)". Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Phillips, Ian. "The best action movie out now cost just $5 million and is more intense than anything by Marvel or Disney". Business Insider. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Green Room (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Green Room (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Lodge, Guy (May 17, 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'Green Room'". Variety. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "The Directors' Fortnight 2015 selection!". Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2015 Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). TIFF. September 20, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Jaugernath, Kevin (February 2, 2016). "Watch: Arm-Snapping, Punk Rock, Red-Band Trailer For Jeremy Saulnier's 'Green Room' Starring Patrick Stewart". Indiewire.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Hall, Jacob (April 13, 2016). "Interview: 'Green Room' Director Jeremy Saulnier on Patrick Stewart, Inept Heroes, and "Full-Frontal Gore"". Slashfilm. p. 1. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Hall, Jacob (April 13, 2016). "Interview: 'Green Room' Director Jeremy Saulnier on Patrick Stewart, Inept Heroes, and "Full-Frontal Gore"". Slashfilm. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  12. ^ a b McNary, Dave (May 22, 2014). "'Blue Ruin' Director Gets Financing for Thriller 'Green Room'". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (October 16, 2014). "Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots to Star in Thriller 'Green Room'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (October 21, 2014). "Patrick Stewart to Play White Supremacist in Crime Thriller 'Green Room'". thewrap.com. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  15. ^ Baker, Jeff (October 29, 2014). "Patrick Stewart is in Portland filming a movie with Anton Yelchin". oregonlive.com. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  16. ^ "Patrick Stewart begins filming the crime thriller "Green Room" in Portland, OR". onlocationvacations.com. October 29, 2014. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  17. ^ "Green Room". Koerner Camera Systems. April 12, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  18. ^ @saulnier_jeremy (November 29, 2014). "Back on the grid. Production wrap on @greenroomfilm and yummy meat hangover. Grateful as can be" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Eisenberg, Ophira (April 29, 2016). "Alia Shawkat And Jeremy Saulnier: In The 'Green Room'". Ask Me Another. NPR. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  20. ^ McDermott, Patrick D. (April 26, 2016). "Green Room Is Punk Because It Doesn't Really Try To Be". The Fader. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Harris, Hutch (June 7, 2016). "The Ain't Rights are All Right: Four Days in the Green Room". Talkhouse. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  22. ^ Yanick, Joe (April 11, 2016). "Director Jeremy Saulnier Talks About Getting the Punks-Versus-Skins Dynamic Right in 'Green Room'". Noisey. VICE. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  23. ^ Fischer, Russ (May 5, 2016). "Crossover: Eight Great Punk and Metal Songs In GREEN ROOM". Birth. Movies. Death. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  24. ^ Davis, Edward (March 22, 2016). "Exclusive: Listen To 3 Soundtrack Cuts From Jeremy Saulnier's 'Green Room' Plus Full Release Details". IndieWire. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Barraclough, Leo (October 29, 2014). "AFM: WestEnd Films Adds 'Green Room' to Slate". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  26. ^ Lodge, Guy (May 17, 2015). "Green Room Review:Punks Take on Skinheads in Brutal, Hollow Horror". Variety.com. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  27. ^ McNary, Dave (August 19, 2015). "'Green Room':A24 Buys Patrick Stewart Thriller". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  28. ^ Punter, Jennie (August 11, 2015). "Toronto Film Fest Documentary, Midnight Movies Lineup Revealed". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  29. ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 5, 2015). "A24 to release Anton Yelchin's Neo-Nazi Thriller 'Green Room' on April Fools Day". The Wrap. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  30. ^ Jane, Ian (June 25, 2016). "Green Room (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  31. ^ Green Room (Blu-ray). Broad Green Pictures. 2016. End credits read: "In loving memory of our friend, Anton."
  32. ^ "Green Room". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  33. ^ Roeper, Richard (April 18, 2016). "'Green Room': Punk band's gig turns truly hardcore in horror gem". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  34. ^ Hertz, Barry (April 29, 2016). "Green Room is a delightfully cruel work of high tension". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  35. ^ Cruz, Lenika (April 27, 2016). "Green Room: Escape From the Nazi Punks". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  36. ^ Singer, Leigh (May 18, 2015). "Green Room Review." IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  37. ^ Bloomer, Jeffrey (April 15, 2016). "Green Room reviewed: A bloody, funny ensemble thriller". Slate. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  38. ^ Berardinelli, James (April 28, 2016). "Green Room (United States, 2016)". reelviews.net. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  39. ^ Felperin, Leslie (May 17, 2015). "'Green Room': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Film Critic Top 10 Lists - Best Movies of 2016". Metacritic. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  41. ^ "PALMARES 2015". Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  42. ^ "Michael Shannon Starrer '99 Homes' Wins Deauville Grand Prize". September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  43. ^ "Toronto film festival 2015: full lineup". The Guardian. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  44. ^ "Announcing The 2015 Fantastic Fest Jury Winners!". Austin Fantastic Fest. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  45. ^ "Festival du nouveau cinéma - AWARDS & PRIZES - 44th edition". Festival du nouveau cinéma. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  46. ^ "IndieWire Critics' Poll 2015 - Mubi". Mubi. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  47. ^ "BloodGuts UK Horror Awards 2016 - The Films". BloodGuts. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  48. ^ "BloodGuts UK Horror Awards 2016 - The Stars". BloodGuts. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  49. ^ "BloodGuts UK Horror Awards 2016 - The Extras". BloodGuts. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  50. ^ "National Board of Review Announces 2016 Award Winners". National Board of Review. November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  51. ^ "2016 Fright Meter Award Winners". Fright Meter. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  52. ^ "Never mind Oscar, here's the 2017 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Nominees Ballot!". FANGORIA®. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  53. ^ Pape, Danny (February 7, 2017). "Star Wars: Rogue One Leads Empire Awards 2017 Nominations". Flickreel.com. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  54. ^ "SEATTLE FILM CRITICS AWARDS 2017". Mubi. Retrieved July 8, 2017.

External links[edit]

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