Whirled Docs: ROOM 237

Doors open 7.00pm Many movies lend themselves to dramatic interpretations, but none as rich and varied as Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Rodney Ascher's ROOM 237 exposes people who have developed far-reaching theories and believe they have decoded the hidden symbols and messages buried deep in the late director's film, developing a controversial, provocative, interesting and pleasurable documentary. It gives voice to the fans and scholars who espouse these theories, reworking the film to match their ideas and intercutting it with layers of dreamlike imagery to illustrate their streams of consciousness. There have been a number of viewers, including Stephen King and Leon Vitali (Kubrick's assistant and caretaker of his work) who are known to have dismissed these interpretations. The film is sometimes outrageous, but entertaining and always engaging. The words of the interviewees are given full force by Ascher's compelling vision.