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| Mark R. Leeper... |
 Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:24 pm |
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FERMAT'S ROOM (LA HABITACION DE FERMAT)
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopena write and
direct a very different sort of suspense film in the
Spanish language. Four strangers, mathematicians, must
solve mathematics puzzles against a time limit. Each
time they fail to solve the puzzle in time the walls of
their room close in on them like the jaws of a vice.
Can they solve the individual puzzles and the mystery of
the room before being crushed to death? Rating:
+2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
Mysteries and thrillers occasionally have side themes of problem
solving that become as interesting as the main storyline. In DEAD
CALM the main character is thrown off of his yacht mid-ocean and
has only another boat, one at the point of capsizing, with which to
stay alive. He must save the doomed boat to get back to his own
boat where a psychotic holds his wife. The main plot is a cliche
but the seamanship makes the film fascinating. FERMAT'S ROOM is an
Agatha Christie sort of murder mystery about four mathematicians
who must solve puzzles to slow the walls of their room from closing
in and crushing them. Anyone who has ever been given a tough
mathematics exam understands what it is like to try to beat a clock
to solve a difficult mathematics problem. It is that experience
that is at the center of FERMAT'S ROOM.
Four unnamed mathematicians each receive by mail a puzzle to solve.
If they can solve it they will be invited to a nice dinner with
other mathematicians. Each will, for the party, be assigned a
false name, that of a great mathematician. The party night begins
at a very remote house. Their host, Fermat, greets them, but tells
them little of why they are here. A phone call summons Fermat
away. In Fermat's absence the problems begin, but each time they
do not find the answer to a problem in the allotted time the walls
of their room crush in on them like the jaws of a very powerful
vice. Can they solve the problems and of the mystery of the night
before they are compacted.
Mathematicians are generally not the type of people that hold much
interest for most movie audiences. However, the nifty plot and the
puzzles that keep coming should be a pleasure for any thinking
viewer. Perhaps this film owes some of its success to television's
"Numb3rs" which has romanticized mathematics in the same way that
"CSI" has romanticized forensic detection.
The idea of throwing puzzles into a film is not totally new. Most
mystery films are puzzle films. That is what makes them a mystery.
In DIE HARD WITH A VENGENCE Bruce Willis's character must solve
puzzles to prevent crimes. The problem is given explicitly to the
audience to solve them also. CUBE similarly has people in a
bizarre sort of trap in which mathematical problems give clues for
which cells are dangerous. There is less emphasis there on having
the audience participate on solving the questions. I saw FERMAT'S
ROOM in near perfect conditions. I watched it on video in a group
of four people. None of us were professional mathematicians, but
we each had an interest in math. We stopped the film and tried
each puzzle. How did we do? I am happy to say we solved every
problem. It was not always with the film's solutions, but with a
workable solution for each.
That brings me to my major complaint with the film. If these were
real mathematicians it is unlikely that any of the problems would
give them much trouble for long. A more realistic set of problems
would probably have been incomprehensible to most of their audience
and certainly would not be so easily solvable. Of course one
accepts substitutions in films to make them more comprehensible.
Spartacus speaks English and not Latin. Outdoors scenes that are
supposed to be at night are sometime obviously shot in the daytime
("day for night"). It is a more enjoyable film if simpler problems
are substituted for tougher ones.
This is certainly one of the most enjoyable thrillers of the year.
I rate it a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 7/10. One final question
is how you would design a room for which the four walls can each
crush in without getting in the way of the two contiguous walls.
The solution is in the film and worked into the wallpaper pattern
in the room. The answer is also in the poster of the film, but not
made obvious.
This film is available from Blockbuster by Mail and it has been
shown on the Independent Film Channel.
Film Credits: <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1016301/>
What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fermat's_room/>
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper at (no spam) optonline.net
Copyright 2009 Mark R. Leeper |
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