The Guest Room [La Stanza] (2021) Review

From Stefano Lodovichi comes tense home invasion thriller ‘The Guest Room’, or ‘La Stanza’ in the films native tongue. A psychological tale that will keep you guessing, The Guest Room throws you straight in at the deep end, beginning with a distressed Stella (Camilla Filippi) hovering precariously on the windowsill as she summons the courage to drop to her death.

It’s a haunting opening image – the dishevelled woman moments from suicide, her make up smeared and wedding dress soaked from the pounding rain. But as her toes edge over the wet windowsill, there is a knock on the door.

Whilst Stella tells the visitor she no longer rents out the spare room, he is insistent, and his fateful timing leads to a series of events that has Stella questioning his true motivation.

Despite his fathomable explanation, the guest appears strangely familiar with the house and Stella herself, and suspicious grow as the feature progresses. Subtle comments hint at an underlying familiarity, and when Stella’s husband arrives the fraught atmosphere begins to bring simmering grievances to the fore.

The guest (Guido Caprino) is undoubtably charming, but his polished veneer starts to fade over time, only to be replaced by a distinctly creepy demeanour that has the unnerved viewer questioning who the vulnerable Stella has let into her home.

This sense of powerless exposure is heightened by utilising different methods to emphasise Stella’s isolation in precarious circumstances. Many scenes are shot from above, evoking a sense of being observed, and Stella herself appears to shrink against her vast, yet stylistically minimalistic home.

The feature is set entirely within Stella’s home and feels simple without lacking. Tension is built through the interactions between the small cast and ominous, lingering shots create an unnerving atmosphere that is reflected in Stella’s growing distrust of the unexpected guest. Whilst events build slowly, it does pay off. The Guest Room begins as a subtly twisting phycological thriller that develops until the horror is unleashed.

Underpinning the feature is an interestingly abstract look at trauma and motherhood, with portions of the film drawing parallels to the strong allegories of The Babadook. Some elements of the film felt a little too reserved for me, leaving me with a sense that things could have went a bit further.

It’s hard to delve into much further without entering spoiler territory, but if you want an enjoyably tense psychological horror that is driven by character development, The Guest Room will definitely fit the bill.

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