Fermat's Room (2007) ( La Habitación de Fermat )

I shamelessly stole and adapated the title of this review for good reason. The nowadays sadly obligatory review quote on the DVD box reads "Pi meets Cube with a dash of Saw". I'm not certain that's entirely accurate and liked the actual tagline "Think inside the box" a whole lot more.Yes there are numbers involved (Pi). Yes they are trapped in a kind of box-deathtrap (Cube) and yes there is an unknown devilish tormenter who poses riddles (Saw) but to break "Fermat's Room" up into merely the sum of it's parts is to do this film a great disservice.(Also mention of "Cube" and "Saw" is perhaps aimed at attracting slightly the wrong audience while "Pi" the "Jewish horror film about maths" is a lot closer to the mark.... but maybe I'm reading too much into it).Frankly this is a film that would struggle to find screentime at most multiplex cinemas. The release of "Fermat's Room" in the UK is unapologetically aimed at a niche audience. It's a foreign language, low-budget, mathematics-themed horror/thriller and I enjoyed it heartily.Four apparent strangers are invited by riddle to attend the solving of a mysterious enigma that would challenge the greatest of minds. Their intellectual curiosity and perhaps arrogance leads them into a potential deathtrap of solving timed mathematical riddles to stay alive (To be just the slightest bit critical here I did find some of the riddles less than challenging as they tended to be the kind of logic puzzles I learned as a child). Of course the film's biggest riddle of all is why, specifically, are they there.What starts most sedately gradually escalates into a crescendo of panic, paranoia, accusation and the will to survive. The characters and you the viewer are misdirected at every turn plunging you directly into the frenetic pacing as the very literal end draws ever closer.There are some truly standout moments of cinematic style that only European cinema seems capable of pulling off these days and as the clues and conclusions come thick and fast you struggle to keep up with the supposed geniuses. There is little time for idle thought and I suspect a few people may even get left behind if they so much as blink.Exciting, intelligent, unpatronising and distincly continental cinema which may not be 100% original but does improve upon the formula tenfold.Highly recommended.

Fermat's Room is a well paced mystery thriller to keep you guessing throughout as four mathematicians, at different moments in their careers and lives, come together to discuss a mathematical problem in a remote and unknown location.The mathematicians in question are thoughtfully written and provided with a nugget of background to help succinctly establish their character prior to the meeting in Fermat's room. All are portrayed with sufficient realism and intrigue to ensure the somewhat far-fetched premise (of mass-mathematician-murder) is not undermined by cliché and novelty but that it instead carries with it the weightiness of Mathematics and it's historical baggage of glory, madness, logic, jealousy, despair etc. all of which is cleverly referenced throughout, sometimes discreetly and other times neatly woven into the narrative.The eventual revelation of the groups predicament is dealt with somewhat candidly by the characters, but in a befitting manner were such a situation to arise amongst logic-driven intellectuals (as opposed to panic-prone, angst-ridden teens), and because of this, the slow and relentless nature of their inevitable doom, as the walls start closing in, correlates effectively with the escalating tension and emotion in the room, enabling the film to progress to a satisfying climax. As the four mathematicians are beset by a number of enigmas to prevent their impending demise, we are given a little enigma in each of the four mathematicians, whose secrets are gradually revealed in order to uncover the reason for their entrapment. All this is very well managed, using a stylish, red walled, almost grandiose and inviting set, but ultimately intended by their captor as a cramped, claustrophobic tomb. To conduct a film in such a setting is a highly credible technical achievement in itself and provides the perfect environment for the tension, drama and secrets to unfold.There are titbits of humour throughout; some intentionally - in the clever script as a character infers from a logic problem the nature of individuals in the group, and some unintentionally - in the Black Adder-esque opening title sequence as a black-gloved hand is seen arranging a scale model of Fermat's room (comic-gothic-noir?). Intended or not, all the humour lends an aspect to the film which helps evolve the premise of four mathematicians trapped in a room to four identifiable, likeable and complex human beings trapped in a room. Rather than just victims, we see people.What I would have enjoyed more of, (which is in part provided by deleted scenes in the special features), was more detail in the establishment of the characters, with which to refer to later in the film as revelations are made and the pieces of the puzzle slot together as the ultimate enigma is unveiled. It was apparently the two directors decision to omit these background scenes in response to audience feedback and also because they were deemed non-essential for the story arc and may arguably have detracted from the pace of the film, which is a tidy 90 minutes after all. Also, if you're not a Spanish speaker the subtitles may be a little on the small side and sometimes lack contrast from the background, which can unfortunately detract from subtle nuances within the script, unless you have a keen eye. Despite these minor shortcomings, Fermat's Room is a thrilling and enjoyable treat, based on a simple premise performed and directed very well and though in a contemporary setting, there is an old fashioned feel to it, evoking aspects of classic noir and relying on good acting and story telling above all else. I'd recommend it to all but the most claustrophobic of mathematicians.

What an enjoyable movie to watch. This reminded me very much of the Italian-directed, but English speaking movie called "The Cube", where a bunch of people were trapped in a series of non-descript rooms that together formed a moving, changing Rubiks Cube structure with each room possibly containing traps that would kill. While trapped, people turned on each other, became suspicious and adversarial.This movie is very much in that same style. A bunch of mathematical genie are anonymously invited to meet Fermat at an isolated homestead to discuss theories and other nerdy things. As it turns out, these people, all who don't know each other, rock up and find themselves trapped in a room and to save themselves, must solve ever increasingly difficult riddles. The riddles were great and I enjoyed taking them to work and testing them on people.This is an excellent movie, you have to see it...