Suicide Room

Suicide Room
Directed by	Jan Komasa
Produced by	Jerzy Kapuściński
Cinematography	Radosław Ładczuk
Edited by	Bartosz Pietras
Release date	12 February 2011 (2011-02-12) 28 February 2011 (2011-02-28) (Poland)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Poland
Language	Polish
Budget	6 million zł
Box office	$7.2 million[1]

Suicide Room (Polish: Sala Samobójców) is a 2011 Polish drama film directed by Jan Komasa. The premiere was held on 12 February 2011 at The Berlin International Film Festival^[2] and on 28 February 2011 in Złote Tarasy in Warsaw, Poland. The movie was released in the cinemas on 4 March 2011. The film went on to receive several awards, including those for best actor (Jakub Gierszał), best actress (Roma Gąsiorowska), best screenplay (Jan Komasa) and best film.

The film centers around Dominik Santorski, a sensitive and lost teenager, who is the son of wealthy, success-driven parents. After a series of dares and humiliating events, his classmates mock his homosexuality on social networking sites. Dominik, humiliated, refuses to go to school and stops preparing for final exams. These problems overlap with his parents, who are often absent from home. Falling into a deep depression, Dominik secludes himself in his room. During this time, he meets a suicidal girl on the internet, and they make an emotional and intellectual bond. Over time, Dominik loses contact with the real world, becoming more engrossed in a virtual world.

Plot[]

The movie begins with Dominik Santorski and his parents in a theatre. Dominik's parents have success-driven careers and are out of touch with their son's life. Dominik is popular, but spoiled. At school, Dominik's friends stumble upon a self-harm video while using his computer. Later, Dominik watches the rest of the video and leaves a comment for the poster.

While drinking at an after-prom party, a girl admits to lesbian experimentation. Aleksander, another student, dares the girl to kiss her female friend. She agrees to do so as long as Aleksander agrees to kiss Dominik. The two girls make out, and Aleksander and Dominik make out as well. A video of the two boys kissing is posted to a social media site, and Dominik's friends appear to find it cool. Later, when Dominik and Aleksander spar at judo practice, Dominik becomes aroused and ejaculates. Video of this event is relayed to a social media site, and people begin to make fun of Dominik online.

Dominik meets Sylwia (Sylvia), a suicidal girl who cuts herself and wears a mask, in an online chat group called "Sala Samobójców" (The Suicide Room). Dominik begins skipping school to spend time with Sylwia online. When Dominik sees an online video showing shadow puppets named after him and Aleksander engaging in homosexual acts, he is driven to tears and rampages through his room. Sylwia mocks him for being upset and encourages him to scare normal people. Dominik adopts the hairstyle and clothing of alternative subculture and takes his father's gun to school. When Aleksander approaches him with some friends after school, Dominik begins to take out his gun, but runs away to his taxi.

Dominik finds out that Sylwia is a shut-in who has not left her room in three years. Dominik stays locked in his room for 10 days talking with Sylwia and refusing to eat. These events go unnoticed by his parents. Eventually, the family's housekeeper calls the police, who break down Dominik's bedroom door and find him sitting in a pool of blood beside a broken mirror. He is sent to a hospital and kept in a psychiatric ward for three days. His parents arrive to take him home, claiming that there is nothing wrong with him and that he should be studying for exams.

When Dominik returns home and goes back to The Suicide Room, Sylwia tells him a love story in which the lovers commit suicide with pills and alcohol. After telling Dominik that this is how she wants to die, she begs him to get pills for her. Having been sent to a psychiatrist, Dominik answers the psychiatrist's questions in accordance with Sylwia's instructions. Sylwia feeds him answers that are designed to lead the doctor to give him the pills that she wishes to use. Dominik follows the lines Sylwia gives him, but—in a plea for Sylwia to reconsider her suicide plan—continually remarks that no one should want to die.

As Dominik and Sylwia discuss where to meet and transfer the pills, Dominik's father rips out the router before their plans are set. Dominik panics, but later explains to his parents what The Suicide Room is. His parents ban him from returning there. Still wanting to see Sylwia, Dominik brings the pills to the bar they had discussed in the hope that Sylwia will show up. Dominik heads to the toilets and takes two handfuls of the pills. Dominik then finds a couple kissing and starts filming them. They take his camera and begin filming his delirium. Dominik returns to the bar, sees Sylwia, and kisses her passionately.

Later at The Suicide Room, Sylwia is talking to her followers about Dominik's long absence from the group. They see Dominik's avatar and learn that it is his mother using his account. She announces that Dominik has died. (The encounter between Dominik and Sylwia at the bar was not real.) It is revealed that Dominik never left the bathroom after taking the pills. Instead, he was filmed by the drunk couple as he overdosed. Dominik attempted to throw up the pills, but it was already too late. The video of Dominik's death is posted online on The Suicide Room wall.

Cast[]

• Jakub Gierszał as Dominik Santorski
• Roma Gąsiorowska as Sylwia
• Agata Kulesza as Beata Santorska
• Krzysztof Pieczyński as Andrzej Santorski
• Filip Bobek as Marcin
• Bartosz Gelner as Aleksander Lubomirski
• Danuta Borsuk as Nadia
• Piotr Nowak as Jacek
• Krzysztof Dracz as the Minister of Economy, Andrzej Santorski's boss
• Aleksandra Hamkało as Karolina
• Kinga Preis as a psychiatrist
• Anna Ilczuk as Ada
• Bartosz Porczyk as a stylist
• Wiesław Komasa as the principal
• Karolina Dryzner as Jowita
• Ewelina Paszke as the wife of the Minister of Economy
• Tomasz Schuchardt as a bodyguard

Festivals and awards[]

In April 2011 the movie received the International Federation of Film Critics award at the International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera, in June of that year it won the Silver Lions award at the 36th Gdynia Film Festival and individual awards^[3] for sound and costumes for Bartosz Purkiewicz and Dorota Roqueoplo, respectively. Jakub Gierszał received the Audience Award and was nominated for the 2011 Zbyszek Cybulski Award for the role of Dominik. In November 2011 the movie won 3 Golden Duck statuettes, awarded by the readership of the Film magazine, in the categories: Best Cinematography, Best Script and Best Film. Jakub Gierszał also won the award for Best Actor.

Wins

• 14th Polish Film Awards^[4][5]
  • Eagle for Best Editing: Bartosz Pietras
  • Eagle for Discovery of the year: Jan Komasa
• Gold Ducks 2011^[4][6]
  • Best movie: Jan Komasa
  • Best actress: Roma Gąsiorowska
  • Best actor: Jakub Gierszał
  • Best script: Jan Komasa
  • Best photoshooting: Radosław Ładczuk
• New Horizons Film Festival 2011^[4]
  • New Polish Movies: Jan Komasa
  • Best Debut: Jan Komasa
• 36th Polish Film Festival^[3][4]
  • Silver lions for movie
  • Silver lions for producer: Jerzy Kapuściński
  • Another 2 individual prizes and 5 special prizes
• Camerimage 2011^[4][7]
  • The Best Polish Film

Soundtrack[]

References[]

External links[]

• Suicide Room at IMDb
• Suicide room at AllMovie