Kane Parsons' 'Backrooms' film packed with art references

Kane Parsons' feature film 'Backrooms', produced by A24, is an adaptation of his 2022 short film and web series, which originated from a viral 2019 4chan photo of an abandoned yellow room. The film follows a furniture store clerk (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his psychologist (Renate Reinsve) descending into a liminal labyrinth. It is saturated with artistic and cultural references: surrealist and metaphysical painters Giorgio De Chirico, Salvador Dalì, Paul Delvaux; engravers Piranesi and Escher; contemporary artists Ivan Seal (whose 'Necrotomigaud' appears as a portal), Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francisco Goya ('Saturn Devouring His Son'), David Altmejd, Henrike Naumann, and Federica Di Pietrantonio. The film also draws from internet subcultures (creepypasta, dreamcore, weirdcore), video games (Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Portal), David Lynch's cinema, and series like Mr. Robot, Squid Game, Paranoia Agent, and Serial Experiments Lain. Sound designer Eugenio Battaglia contributes to the claustrophobic tension. The film is noted for its glitch aesthetic and connection to the Boards of Canada album 'Inferno'.