In the Room (2015)

In the Room is special because it turns a single hotel room into a time machine, letting decades of Singapore’s shifting moods, manners, and desires drift through the same four walls with an almost novelistic intimacy. Eric Khoo approaches sex not as cheap provocation but as a revealing language—sometimes funny, sometimes bruised, sometimes unexpectedly tender—so each encounter becomes a snapshot of who these people are when they think no one is watching. The anthology structure gives it a restless ambition, and while not every vignette lands with equal force, the best ones build a confident, quietly eloquent spell that lingers. It’s absolutely not for the prudish (the explicitness is real), but if you’re open to sensual, adult storytelling that treats eroticism as character and atmosphere, it’s a daring, singular watch.

In the Room is clearly aiming for an intimate, time-spanning mosaic about sex, love, and loneliness, using one Singapore hotel room as a witness to changing eras and relationships. The problem is that the anthology format feels uneven: some segments land with genuine tenderness or dark humor, while others come off underwritten, awkwardly performed, or tonally confused, so the emotional impact keeps resetting instead of building. It’s also extremely explicit, and the nudity and simulated sex aren’t just background texture—they’re the point—so if you’re not fully on board with graphic sexual content, this will feel more wearying than “sensual.” If you like conceptual, artsy portmanteau films and can tolerate inconsistency for the sake of mood and theme, there are moments worth your time; if you want sharp writing, cohesive tone, or believable intimacy, you’ll likely leave frustrated.