YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Kane Parsons' critically acclaimed psychological thriller Backrooms is now streaming on Sony LIV. It came without any prior release date announcement from the streamer. Earlier this week, the streaming service provider confirmed that the film would release soon on the platform, and it did earlier this Friday as a surprise drop. The film hit theatres in India in June this year. According to reports, it has earned a worldwide box office collection of more than $350 million, thus becoming the highest-grossing film of distributor A24's career.
Backrooms stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Lukita Maxwell, and Finn Bennett. The story follows Ejiofor's failed architect cum furniture store owner who discovers a mysterious portal at the basement of his store. When the protagonist enters the portal, he gets into an unending maze of interconnected rooms that forces whoever occupies the space to confront their worst fears and insecurities.
Backrooms has earned appreciation for a narrative that most critics found spellbinding. Critics appreciated the intricate narrative and the visuals that make the audience feel as trapped within the walls of the labyrinthine space as the characters themselves do.
The film is made on a modest budget, which is roughly $10 million, according to reports. Alongside Curry Barker's Obsession, another blockbuster independent film, it created quite the sensation at the box office, capitalising on the audience's long-standing appreciation for well-crafted horror and psychological thrillers.
Amidst the appreciation, the success of Backrooms even made some viewers wonder whether someone ghost-directed the film and whether or not Kane Parsons is its actual director. Part of the speculation stemmed from it being Kane Parsons' feature film debut and his relatively young age. So much so, actor Mark Duplass, who portrays a character in the film, dismissed all these rumours through social media.
