The Roommate

The roommate is a Single White Female in a dorm room. All of the "obsessive female friendship” elements are in place: The two women share a resemblance, one of them has lost a sister to whom she was very close and Rebecca, the one who becomes obsessed, is not taking her medication.

So often films about crazy, stalker-like female friendships hint at lesbianism; an "I love you and if I can’t have you, no one can” enthusiasm that at least one character will notice. In The Roommate, it’s Sara’s boyfriend, Stephen, who asks Sara if perhaps Rebecca likes her a little bit too much. This is after Rebecca has confronted Sara in the hallway about why she was out so late (while Sara was kissing Stephen goodbye), and Rebecca had threatened another girl in the dorm, telling her that she would kill her if she didn’t stay away from her roommate.

What does Rebecca want from Sara? It doesn’t appear sexual at all. In fact, Rebecca seems asexual, and uses seduction as a means only of blackmail and getting what she wants, which is Sara all to herself. But it’s not because she wants to sleep with Sara in fact, they do end up sharing a bed together.

Rebecca just wants a friend, really badly, and she thinks Sara is perfect. She’s her roommate, so she’s a built-in friend. Unfortunately for Sara, that makes her the only one Rebecca is interested in getting to know.

Starring: Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Danneel Harris, Frances Fisher, and Billy Zane

Genre: Crime/Thriller

PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Christian E. Christiansen