The Yellow Wallpaper & A24's Backrooms

Everyone is talking about A24's Backrooms, a new movie directed by Kane Parsons. If you have never heard of Kane Parsons, perhaps you have heard of Kane Pixels. That was the name the director went by on YouTube about four years ago when he released his short film Backrooms and then dived into several other shorts related to this concept of liminal spaces—spaces that exist in perhaps some parallel dimension and seem to go on forever. They are made up of things like abandoned department stores, office buildings, and warehouses that have been abandoned to time and memory, exploring the idea of what lies beneath these areas and what realms exist in our memory. He toyed with this idea four years ago and it went viral—so much so that he ended up getting a deal.

There has been a whole lot of debate online as to whether or not this 20-year-old filmmaker actually directed this film. I think it revolves around the concept of whether he could really give acting direction to such acting juggernauts as Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, two individuals who have been highly acclaimed in their work. The truth probably lies in the middle. This definitely was directed by Kane Parsons; having seen some of his shorts, this film absolutely blends his aesthetic of found footage, which we saw in those short films, along with the bigger budget that A24 would allow a young filmmaker to delve into. But was there possibly mentoring that took place? Absolutely. You are not a big studio like A24 without investing in your talent. Furthermore, Chiwetel Ejiofor is probably one of those actors who, at this point in his life, can play a scene a couple of times, really dive into the character, and perform such deep character work and study that he does not need much direction.

I think that is probably why this film works so well. If this had been given to a cast of unknowns, it definitely would not work to the level in which it does. The absolutely amazing performance that Chiwetel delivers here: the vulnerability, the horror, the trauma of it all; works so well, perhaps better than the actual idea of the backrooms itself.

If you are unfamiliar with the backrooms, it is the belief that there are these liminal spaces—spaces that exist and are usually empty, vast spaces—and the idea that perhaps there is some supernatural, scientific, sci-fi presence that exists within them. What does it all mean? Kane Parsons is playing around with the idea of physical liminal spaces as they might exist in real life or as we know reality to be, but also the idea of memory as a liminal space, our brains as literal liminal spaces. Backrooms follows Chiwetel Ejiofor's character, a department store owner named Clark who is dealing with a divorce in which he has lost his home. He is living in his store, struggling with alcoholism and perhaps some violent behaviors, and is going to a therapist played by Renate Reinsve. He ends up discovering a liminal space behind the walls of his department store and enlists the help of his store manager, Cat, and her boyfriend, Bobby, to help him explore this space and find out what it means. As they explore, they find that the backrooms are much more dangerous and deadly than they initially thought. Eventually, he manages to get a call out to his therapist, and she goes to look for her client, only to find herself also entrapped in the backrooms.

Having watched this with just a small amount of experience and knowledge of Kane Parsons' work on YouTube, I do not think it is necessary for you to do a deep dive into the background before watching. The film gives you what it wants you to have, which is this concept of: are the backrooms real? Is it all in the mind? There is a lot of that imagery tied to the organization exploring and investigating the backrooms, which began as an MRI company. That alone gives you a lot of symbolism and clues into what might be talked about.

There is a lot of talk of trauma. The therapist herself has encountered childhood trauma which we see on the screen. Clark is going through trauma in his marriage and is perhaps unwilling to really dive deeper into what led to that trauma—which is what I think unearths the backrooms. Because he is unwilling to fully explore his trauma, it sucks them both in.

I do not want to go too much further than that because I do not want to spoil all of the fantastic, horrific surprises that await you. It makes me think of Willy Wonka inviting Charlie into the chocolate factory, the factory itself being kind of a liminal space. If you ever took an English course in America, perhaps in 11th or 12th grade, you read a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman called The Yellow Wallpaper. It is all about a woman going through postpartum depression who is trapped in a house that has an old, abandoned nursery where her room has been set up. The faded, yellow, decaying wallpaper on the walls is literally a manifestation of the terror happening in her mind. That alone will give you all of the background you need to really begin to explore what Backrooms means to you.

That is one of the fun parts of a project like this. It is also really exciting to see young filmmakers get budgets like this. It recalls a young Ryan Coogler getting greenlit to do Fruitvale Station. It is exciting to see these young filmmakers be able to make films that are not franchises. That said, the way that Backrooms ends definitely leaves the gateway open to a franchise, so we will see what happens with that.

The film seems to be doing very well at the box office. I cannot help but exclaim how great the performances are; Chiwetel and Renate really put you in an empathetic mode of what it means to go through trauma, to unpack your trauma, to face your trauma head-on, and how other people can suck you into their trauma in a way that makes you relive your own.

The cinematography in this is really, really well done. The found footage aspects of it are stellar, and I am really glad that they were able to maintain that from Kane Parsons' own work. Found footage is highly enjoyable when it is done well, and this is definitely an example of found footage done very well. Additionally, the set designs seem expansive. I am sure there were lots of tricks done with mirrors and things to make spaces seem larger and like they go on and on, but it was done with a fairly modest budget. This is really exciting because perhaps it means that more young filmmakers will get the opportunity to bring their work to life.

This is a very unique situation where someone became YouTube-famous for their filmmaking and has been able to parlay that success despite very modest PR. They started teasing aspects of it about a year ago, but unless you were really familiar with the backrooms, you might have missed it. While that is exciting, it does make me feel a little bittersweet towards some of the other films we have seen from lesser-known or less popular filmmakers. Boots Riley's I Love Boosters is one example, and Aleshea Harris's Is God Is is another; both did not get a lot of press and have been struggling to find their footing at the box office despite having the same critical acclaim, or sometimes better, than this film. I think it is because of that organic word-of-mouth, which is a great thing to have, but I just wish there was a little bit more love to spread around.

Overall, I really enjoyed Backrooms. I do wish that a little bit more of the ending had been fleshed out to land on one enclosed concept instead of leaving the door open for so many interpretations. That said, I do not mind that too much. It can be very fun and entertaining when a film can be interpreted multiple ways by different people, and I am excited to see what young Mr. Kane Parsons has in store for the future.

Share Your Thoughts Below: Have you gone to see Backrooms? Are you familiar with the concept of liminal spaces? Will you be checking this out in the theater, or waiting until it comes on streaming? Let me know in the comments!

Shaquanna “Quanna” Stevens is a film critic, educator, and storyteller who reviews films through the lens of culture, representation, and genre. She runs Her Reel Review, where she explores horror, romance, fantasy, and films by Black creators. When she’s not writing or filming reviews, she teaches English IV Honors and AP Literature, advises student filmmakers, and helps young creatives develop their voices.