‘Room for One’, a one woman short film written and performed by Madeline Hatt, was born from a desire to talk about women’s safety and to highlight the woeful progress that has been made since the film’s setting in the 1940s. Madeline shaped and developed the script from a stream-of-consciousness monologue which she then pared down to the key themes she wanted to broach. After garnering support from the Depot Cinema in Lewes as a location, trawling antique shops and auctions and working with director Tom Oliver, all that was left was to create an impressively authentic film noir backdrop and to perfect her own role. RocksBlog are able to offer audiences a taste of the film, which will be playing at Hastings Rocks in April 2024.
“I’ve always been fascinated by noir, its dark elegance, its nightmarish sense of alienation and loneliness, the use of narration and its claustrophobic style. I wanted to write through the guise of a classic Noir, but inject it with a modern spin.”
‘Room for One’ immediately drenches the audience in the opulence and class of a long-lost time. A lush and heady world of film noir where female protagonists are, de rigeur, femmes fatales. Madeline’s performance is immediately arresting – her wide almond eyes captivate you, the audience, as you take a seat opposite her, standing in for her male companion, Brooks, before partaking in the promised carnal joys in an upstairs hotel room. Yet in a pleasantly surprising twist, the flipped power dynamics are already apparent and unlike the world we live in, our female seems to have complete control of her situation. As a female viewer, this incredibly original and unorthodox mise-en-scene brought me great pleasure.
Our lady has already ordered the cocktails. She expects nothing from Brooks and isn’t bothered by his silence as she dominates the conversation, running through and criticising her usual types of clientele. We are left pondering about her intentions beyond this meeting, as what we are led to assume doesn’t quite fit with the opening phone conversation, and we are drawn further into the mystery and intrigue as our lady’s monologue continues.
Madeline’s performance is truly commendable. It is not easy to hold an entire film but her dulcet tones flow along with the gentle piano cadence in the background and as her words become more and more critical of her male companion, the camera draws closely into her face and the theme of the film comes sharply into focus. Whilst our female lead holds the power in this meeting, she ricochets through experiences and the fear and danger women have to endure on a daily basis at the hands of the other sex. Madeline relishes her role as femme fatale from start until the end, and makes me wish for more women like herself on screen.
The authenticity of the film is enhanced by the impeccable set design and costuming. We know where we are right from the opening scene where our lady is pulling up her stockings and adorning herself with jewels and luscious red lipstick. The bar has a timeless vintage feel to it and the drinks are served in stunning old cocktails glasses perfectly in keeping with the decor. In true film noir tradition, ‘Room for One’ leaves you with an unsettling feeling and with more questions than it answers…along with an insatiable taste for more.
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