The Room

Johnny is a successful banker living in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée Lisa, who has become disenchanted with their relationship. Lisa's growing dissatisfaction foreshadows trouble as she withdraws and seeks fulfillment elsewhere.

Lisa secretly begins an affair with Johnny's best friend, Mark, marking the rupture in Johnny's social circle and the start of the central conflict. The affair remains hidden as both Lisa and Mark pursue their relationship away from Johnny's knowledge.

Johnny overhears Lisa confessing her infidelity to her mother, shocking him and prompting a desperate attempt to uncover the lover. He attaches a tape recorder to the phone to capture conversations and identify the partner.

Following the overheard confession, Johnny attaches a tape recorder to the phone to capture calls and identify Lisa's lover. The device becomes a symbol of his attempt to control the situation as he uncovers the affair's reach.

Johnny and Mark intervene to rescue Denny, a neighboring college student, from a fight with an armed drug dealer. The rescue deepens the entanglement of Johnny's circle and reveals Denny's vulnerability.

After the rescue, Denny confesses to Johnny that he lusts after Lisa, and Johnny, though sympathetic, advises him to pursue another classmate. The moment anchors the widening moral complexity surrounding the affair.

Lisa begins falsely claiming that Johnny has become physically abusive, driving him into a depressive state. He seeks counsel from both Mark and their psychologist, Peter, to cope with the accusations and his unraveling relationship.

Mark confides on a rooftop that he feels guilty about the affair. Peter deduces that Lisa is the lover, and in a tense moment Mark suspends the psychologist over the roof's edge before relenting. The rooftop scene crystallizes consequences of secrecy.

At Johnny's surprise birthday party, Steven catches Lisa kissing Mark, exposing the affair to the gathering. Lisa attempts to distract Johnny by falsely claiming they are expecting a child, heightening the tension among guests.

Lisa and Mark flaunt their affair in front of the party guests, triggering a physical altercation with Johnny who finally ejects everyone from the party. The confrontation marks a breaking point in the relationship and marks Johnny's surrender to the emotional storm.

Johnny locks himself in the bathroom, berates Lisa for betraying him, and demands answers. She calls Mark for support while Johnny retrieves the taped conversations, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation with overwhelming emotion.

He retrieves the cassette recorder and listens to the intimate phone call between Lisa and her lover. The moment triggers a nervous breakdown as he spirals into fury and despair, destroying parts of his apartment.

Overwhelmed by the betrayal, Johnny destroys his apartment and commits suicide by shooting himself in the mouth. The act culminates the tragedy wrought by the infidelity and manipulation captured on the tape.

Lisa tells Mark that they are finally free to be together, but Mark rejects her, angry at the manipulation that led to Johnny's demise. The rejection signals the end of their dangerous entanglement and suggests personal consequences for their choices.

With Johnny's body in the apartment, Denny and others wait for the police to arrive, wrapping the tragedy in the final quiet beat of the story. The group remains to face the consequences of the night’s events and the loss of their friend.