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Lin Shaye is incapable of being average, and her portrayal of Joyce in ‘Room For Rent’ may be her best yet. At first glance, Joyce appears to be a pathetic old woman, but the truth is she is much more sinister than that. Joyce is a compulsive liar who stalks young men while undermining the neighbors who attempt to be cordial. To put it mildly, she is a master manipulator, and every single one of those details makes Shaye’s performance incredibly powerful and utterly chilling. Watching her attempt to evade a group of teenage boys makes you uneasy, but Shaye has developed the character so thoroughly that you can’t help but root for Joyce.
The best scene in the film is without a doubt when she is attacked by one boy from the group and she undergoes what feels like a mental breakdown. As the audience, you get a glimpse into her mind and it is a horrible place. It’s truly shocking and haunting.
Joyce feels lonely after her husband passes so she decides to rent out her home. Her first tenant is Sarah, whose rude husband becomes a problem. After speaking with Joyce, Smith decides to ditch her husband, and the two women start corresponding as friends. Now Joyce has a new tenant named Bob, who is quite the obsession. This leads Sarah to feel worried, thinking that Joyce isn’t exactly sane.
My favorite scene from the movie is when Bob catches one of the teens egging his house, and he ends up beating him. It was so satisfying.
Let me get it out of the way this is Lin Shaye’s movie, and she plays the role of a mentally disturbed individual who makes it quite awkward to sit through the film. There are too many cringing moments that make it difficult to watch. Instead of bringing a sadistic element into the film, the movie focused more on mental health- which is a little too stimulating. The film felt as though it was heading toward building a lot more tension, but as the credits rolled, all you were left with was the discomfort of watching it. To be honest, I did expect quite a bit more from the film.
Shaye deeply impressed me as always, but unlike other films where real tension is created, here, it is missing. I particularly enjoyed her performance as Joyce.
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