Symbols and motifs

Symbols

Alistair’s room

Alistair’s room is a powerful symbol in the film The Riot Club (2014) directed by Lone Scherfig. When Alistair Ryle is given a modest room as lodging, his father is furious. Miles switches rooms with Alistair and the audience finds out the luxurious lodging once belonged to Sebastian Ryle, Alistair’s older brother. Alistair refuses to live in the same room as Sebastian, having had enough of living in his brother’s shadow. However, his father will not hear of it. Therefore, the room initially symbolizes Alistair’s ties to his brother and his family, which he feels he cannot escape even now that he is in college.

When the Riot Club members trash Alistair’s room as a rite of initiation into the club, Alistair is overjoyed. The other club members hope that Alistair was not too attached to anything in the damaged room. However, the damage done to the room symbolizes a new beginning for him. Even though his brother was a Riot Club member, Alistair feels that the club is a place where he can be himself. 

The Riot Club

The Riot Club is a symbol of extreme behavior. All its members believe in living life to the fullest and in enjoying every moment, no matter the consequences. The club relies on pleasure, and violence, and its members have no boundaries. They believe that money and class hold the power, so they...