How Long Is “In the Same Room”?

In the Same Room (2014) is an exercise in creating a mood of uncertainty and suspense rather than telling a coherent story. A disconcerting atmosphere is achieved here largely through sound, designed by Timothy Nelson, and mixed with manipulation of pre-existing film sounds. The film’s title came from Walter Benjamin’s essay ‘The Storyteller: Reflections on the Works of Nikolai Leskov’ (1936). A friend of mine opened the essay at a random page, closed her eyes, and pointed to the following sentence: ‘The resident master craftsman and the travelling journeyman worked together in the same rooms […]’.