Suicide Room

Sala samobójcow, 2011, 110 min.

Suicide Room (2011)

Awards

2012
Polish Film Festival Los Angeles
Hollywood Eagle Award

Subtitle European Film Festival, Kilkenny
Angeles Award for Jakub Gierszal

Stockholm International Film Festival Junior
Bronze Horse, main prize

Polish Eagle (Orly) Award
Discovery of the Year for Jan Komasa, Best Editing for Bartosz Pietras

2011
Camerimage
Best Film in Polish Film Competition

Kyiv International Film Festival
Special Mention by Ecumenical Jury

Cinergia The Forum of European Cinema
Best Cinematography Award for Radoslaw Ladczuk

Cottbus Film Festival
Best Youth Film in the U-18 German-Polish Youth Film Competition

Giffoni Film Festival, Italy
Gryphon Award for Best Film, ARCA Cinemagiovani Award, Best Music Score Award

Art Film Fest International Film Festival, Slovakia
The Blue Angel for Best Director

Gdynia Polish Film Festival
Silver Lion, Best Custumes Award for Dorota Roqueplo, Best Sound Award for Bartosz Putkiewicz

OFFplus Camera, International Festival of Independent Cinema
FIPRESCI Award

Production

Director Jan Komasa
Screenplay Jan Komasa
Cinematography Radoslaw Ladczuk
Music Michal Jacaszek
Art Director Katarzyna Filimoniuk
Producer Jerzy Kapuscinski

Cast

Dominik Jakub Gierszal
Sylwia Roma Gasiorowska-Zurawska
Beata Agata Kulesza
Andrzej Krzysztof Pieczynski
Aleksander Bartosz Gelner
Nadia Danuta Borsuk
Jacek Piotr Nowak
Marcin Filip Bobek
Karolina Kinga Preis

Story

Dominik is the product of a marriage driven by success and ambition between Andrzei, a businessman, and his wife Beata. There are only one hundred days to go before Dominik will leave the country’s finest school with what his parents hope will be excellent grades. From this point on, the world of academia will be his oyster and all he – or rather his parents – will have to do is choose between top courses. His parents are convinced: only the best ever get on in life; only those who take success for granted will make it. But one hundred days can be a very long time – especially when you’re expected to function while submitting to the pecking order and other social demands at an elite school. Social competence is not one of the businessman’s son’s strong points. A series of humiliating experiences with a fellow-student nudges Dominik’s world dangerously off kilter and, when he discovers the comments his classmates have posted about him on a social network website this puts an end to his self-confidence, motivation and concentration. Unable to bear the thought of school any more, Dominik withdraws, drifting into a virtual world where there are no hateful classmates. Online he pseudonymously meets Sylwia who tells him she plans to commit suicide. She also introduces him to her friends in the ‘suicide room’, a chat room for people with suicidal tendencies. Dominik allows Sylwia to lure him into a dangerous game, but before long things begin to get out of control because the chat is designed to shock the outside world rather than help users with their personal problems.