TTCFF 2018: ‘Maybe If It Were A Nice Room’ (2016) Short Review

When I first heard of Maybe If It Were A Nice Room, I didn’t know what to expect. But after seeing it, I knew that, even though it was not long, this film told a powerful message. The short was written, directed and produced by Alicia Harris, whom I even suspect is also the narrator. As the camera pans through different rooms adorned with antiques, flowers, photographs, and poetry, the narrator tells the horrific encounter of her rape.

In this day and age with the #MeToo movement, sexual predators are being outed and held responsible for their actions. In the media, we hear of women who come forward to tell of their attacks. Maybe If It Were A Nice Room tells the story of many of these women, reminding us that rape doesn’t just happen on the street, but also in bedrooms.

The narration and cinematography work well to paint the story; it feels to me that this could be anyone in this situation. It truly terrifies me that it could be me or my friends or my family in this situation. There is no graphic content, so the audience does not see the crime, but through the narration, we come to realize that this was not okay. At the end of the day, Maybe If It Were A Nice Room delivers a powerful message that rape can happen anywhere.