28 Hotel Rooms Review

It is a risky move to create a film involving only two actors and one room, but director Matt Ross pulls this off perfectly in his first feature film, 28 Hotel Rooms. Longtime character actor Ross proves his talent as a writer and director, creating a perfect blend of comedy and drama in his film that explores a long-distance affair that begins as casual sex and develops into much more.

As the title would suggest, the film consists of a series of 28 sequences, each taking place in a different hotel room.  The film opens with two strangers meeting in a hotel bar while traveling for work. He is a New York novelist (Chris Messina) and she is a Seattle corporate accountant (Marin Ireland). Without introduction, their sexual chemistry is evident immediately and they partake in what they think is only a one-night stand. Both characters are in relationships and think they will never see each other again but something brings her to call him (even though she told him she wouldn’t) and their affair begins. The next time they meet she is married and he eventually gets a serious girlfriend, but they continue to meet regularly in different hotels over the span of a few years. 

What begins as just sex quickly turns into a serious emotional connection. Each time they meet we are shown a different aspect of their relationship, from silly jokes to serious fights and passionate love scenes.  It is hard to remember that they are in other real relationships because we are only shown the moments when they are together. From this perspective, we see their struggle of wanting to be together but being unable to commit and leave their spouses.

Ross brilliantly demonstrates the difficulties and emotional struggles that come with an affair from a unique perspective. Because the entire movie takes place in different hotel rooms, we never get to see their spouses or their outside lives. We only learn about them from what Ross reveals in their conversations with each other. The only relationship we are shown is their relationship together, which makes us feel for them and want their relationship to work even though what they are doing is wrong. 

The only sense of time the audience is given is by the change of hotel rooms.  We never know how much time has passed between visits except for clues from the changes in their appearances or what they tell each other about their outside lives. However, when they are together it seems as if no time has passed at all. For his first feature film, Ross does an excellent job of exploring the complications that come with relationships from the point of view of the affair.  While it is obvious that what they are doing is wrong, it is hard to judge them for what they are doing because we never get a glimpse of their outside lives.

Ross chose two unrecognized actors who played their parts perfectly. The chemistry between Messina and Ireland is electric throughout the film. Both actors portray a vulnerability and emotional honesty that allow the audience to completely connect with their characters and every moment they spend together. The interaction between the two actors is so raw that we forget they are performing. Messina completely takes over the screen and draws the audience in, showing a full range of emotions and proving he can play diverse roles. His character is more willing to dive into the relationship and make it work than Ireland’s. He displays his character’s exasperation and frustration perfectly when all he wants to do is leave their tiny hotel room and the fantasy world they have been living in.

The camerawork in the contained settings of the hotel rooms is skilled and creative, especially the scenes when they are in bed together and we completely feel their vulnerability. Some people may not like the film’s claustrophobic arrogance in which we learn nothing about the character’s lives except for what they choose to tell each other, but Ross’s approach creates additional benefits in that it generates suspense within the audience, allowing us to peer into their relationship while still leaving out major information about their characters. 

In the end it is up to the audience to decide whether their love is strong enough to bring them together for good or if their affair will remain just that. What could easily have been a flop turns out to be a smart, insightful way to show how every love affair comes with complications and attachments.

Cast & Credits:

Chris Messina

Marin Ireland

Mott Street Pictures, OneZero Productions and Silverwood Films present a film directed and written by Matt Ross. Running time: 82 minutes.