Nerds That Geek Short Feature Review: ‘Room Taken’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Gabriel Adewusi as Isaac in Tj O'Grady Peyton’s ROOM TAKEN.

​There is unfortunately, a surge of fury and apathy, and a desire for vengeance that has washed over the world, and it has impacted society in stunning ways. For instance, our frustrations with the state of world as a result of what the elder generation has handed the next generation has prompted us to offer that generation silence. Which has placed a bevy of elderly individuals that have not caused harm into the realm of the forgotten. So, that we can make peace with our anger over Boomers and their special brand of entitlement. Plus, our frustrations toward living wages and the profits that corporations feast upon like fat hogs, has allowed for our neighbors and others to slip through the cracks and become unhoused individuals that we want nothing to do with.

Not to mention, we don’t even offer the unhoused or others down on their luck charity or kindness anymore out of our own financial concerns as a result of those emotions toward corporations and their greed. Which leaves all of us wondering… where we are headed as a society, and how, we can perhaps reclaim some of what we’ve lost. So that perhaps we can hold the right people to account and impact change before apathy takes over, and the divides are permanent, and well… it just so happens that a short feature that’s been moving around the festival circuit, ponders upon the answer to that very question. A feat that Room Taken, accomplishes… by plunging us into worlds that we don’t understand because we’ve chosen to ignore them. 

Wherein we meet a man named Isaac, who is down on his luck and out of a job and out of a home. Which prompts him to couch surf where he can, to enjoy a good night’s rest, but that doesn’t always work out. Which leaves Isaac on the streets and forgotten on some nights, and he’s so done with bouncing about that he decides to take full advantage of an incredible opportunity. One that while illegal… will keep him warm and rested. For the decision to help a visually impaired, elderly woman named Victoria, find her way home reveals that she has plenty of space, and well… Isaac decides to take advantage of her impairment and just move in. So, he can catch his breath and try to plan his next steps in life. But soon, he realizes… that taking advantage of Victoria is wrong, and that she needs help. Which in turn prompts him to help out around the house and make her life a little better, until opportunity can move him along. 

Which is… a powerful way to first point out, what our frustrations have done to others in our society. Because Isaac isn’t evil or mentally ill, two stereotypes that everyone seems to believe accompanies an unhoused individual, he is a human being. One in need of help and cannot catch a break because no one wants to make his problems their business, and it’s made him isolated and lonely, and hopeless. Not to mention, our apathy toward the elderly has made Victoria a ghost in her own home. Sure, she can handle some things in life, but her fading sight has put her independence on borrowed time, and there is no one there to support her or help her outside of some casual assistance. All of which informs us that we are literally forgetting about people and hurting them in the process. All in the name of sticking it to someone else. But understanding the problem helps us to understand the solution.
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In that, it would not take much to bring us back from the brink. It would simply take what Isaac does here. Which is, to show others a measure of kindness, show them they matter and show them they have purpose. Because we live to belong and we need to feel as though we matter and helping others can offer that and boost us up and give us a sense of self-worth as well, and watching Isaac do that is inspiring and it leads to a powerful ending to a powerful feature. One that truly showcases the cold nature of the world and how quickly we can make it warm again and inspire real change down the line. For kindness is indeed free, and it only takes a minute to check in on someone and offer them that gesture, and truly… that also makes this an important film. One that really does call us out and take us to task over our anger, our apathy and our desire to ignore what cannot be ignored and it’s nice to see a film that offers such thoughts a time when we are more divided than ever.

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