Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The 3 Rooms of Melancholia

Play trailer Poster for The 3 Rooms of Melancholia 2004 1h 46m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
This portrait of Chechnya during the recent conflict tells a story of uncertainty and bleak despair via a series of lyrical images, which have more to say than a dozen talking bureaucrats would. The filmmakers take a particular interest in the country's youth. Stops at an isolated military school in St. Petersburg, at Chechnya's fallen capital and at a refugee camp for children in the neighboring Republic of Ingushetia imply the cycle of growth, violence and death that await so many.

Critics Reviews

View More
Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter Aug 10, 2005
Superbly conveys its themes of despair and lost opportunities. Go to Full Review Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News Jul 29, 2005
2.5/4
Consistently moving but never quite coalesces into a strongly coherent whole. Go to Full Review V.A. Musetto New York Post Jul 28, 2005
3.5/4
An achingly beautiful look at the most tragic victims of the longtime war in Chechnya: children. Go to Full Review Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) May 29, 2006
Steeped in the pain and sadness of war-torn children who have seen so many lives come and go around them[,] it forces us, too, to bear witness, if only for a hundred minutes. Go to Full Review Jeff Vice Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Feb 24, 2006
3/4
Melancholia leans heavily toward propaganda, but the movie is well done, albeit almost overwhelmingly dark. Go to Full Review Sean P. Means Salt Lake Tribune Feb 24, 2006
2.5/4
Honkasalo moves somberly and way too slowly through these three linked scenarios, and the droning score may induce sleep in the eyes of audience members. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Feb 11, 2009 Depressing and sad. Left me with a feeling of hopelessness, why are we doing this to each other, why don't we ever learn?? Top of a league in melancholy. See more Feb 10, 2009 If one doesn't become distressed and sad while watching this then it does never happen. And that's the point. Through the really melancholic storytelling that has almost no commentary takes the watcher really deep into the feelings of the children whose life has been ruined by the war. Wtf is wrong with the people - mostly with (testosteronic) men - when this kind of tragedy has been, is, and will still be repeated countless times in so many places in this world. Do we ever learn or do we care at all? Really impressive and oppressive. Wouldn't like to know world is like that - but it is. See more Mar 6, 2008 I think this movie is meant to be slow, meant to make one feel uncomfortable and see those things as completely unbearable. See more Feb 17, 2008 woah, beautiful, seriously one of the best doco's i've seen...but be careful those who don't like slow things. See more Nov 3, 2007 Nothing much watchable has come from Finland but this documentary links brilliantly the tree stories together and the themes are never too much exposed to the public. See more Oct 22, 2007 A largely visual documentary about the Chechnyan conflict from a children’s perspective, both beautiful and disturbing without moralizing See more Read all reviews
The 3 Rooms of Melancholia

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Pirjo Honkasalo

Director

Kristiina Pervilä-Andersson

Producer

Pirjo Honkasalo

Writer

Sanna Salmenkallio

Original Music

More Like This

View All
A Decent Factory 57% % A Decent Factory Watchlist The Nomi Song 94% 86% The Nomi Song Watchlist Iraq in Fragments 91% 79% Iraq in Fragments Watchlist America's Heart and Soul 49% 46% America's Heart and Soul Watchlist Workingman's Death 75% 95% Workingman's Death Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The 3 Rooms of Melancholia

The 3 Rooms of Melancholia (2004) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis This portrait of Chechnya during the recent conflict tells a story of uncertainty and bleak despair via a series of lyrical images, which have more to say than a dozen talking bureaucrats would. The filmmakers take a particular interest in the country's youth. Stops at an isolated military school in St. Petersburg, at Chechnya's fallen capital and at a refugee camp for children in the neighboring Republic of Ingushetia imply the cycle of growth, violence and death that await so many.
Director
Pirjo Honkasalo
Producer
Kristiina Pervilä-Andersson
Screenwriter
Pirjo Honkasalo
Production Co
Millenium Film Oy, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Arte, Sveriges Television, Yleisradio, Lisbet Gabrielsson Film AB
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Russian
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 8, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 7, 2022
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings