Corner Office

Plot

Orson, a rigid and socially awkward office worker, begins a new job at the Authority. He considers his coworkers distracting and inefficient and follows a strict routine intended to maximize his productivity.

Orson discovers a comfortably furnished room near the elevators and restroom and finds that he can work exceptionally well there. When coworker Rakesh asks why he spends time standing motionless before a blank wall, Orson realizes that no one else can see the room. After Orson unsuccessfully tries to show it to his coworkers, his supervisor, Andrew, orders him to stop using it and sends him to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist finds him capable of continuing to work, and Orson agrees to avoid the room.

Unable to concentrate as effectively elsewhere, Orson eventually begins returning to it after his coworkers leave. He secretly completes difficult case files and leaves them for Andrew. After Carol discovers that Orson is responsible, his work impresses senior management, and he is assigned increasingly important cases and moved into quality assurance.

At a company party, receptionist Alyssa asks Orson to show her the room. She says she cannot see it but plays along as he guides her through the doorway. Orson experiences their conversation as occurring inside the room and believes they have formed a special connection, while Alyssa subsequently avoids him.

Growing confident in his importance to the company, Orson asks Andrew for unrestricted use of the room as his workplace. Andrew consults the executive vice president, who examines the building's floor plans and concludes that no space exists between the elevators and restrooms. When Orson continues to insist that the room is real, Andrew fires him.

Orson angrily denounces the company and his coworkers before leaving. He then suddenly runs back into the building as employees pursue him. From their perspective he again stands before the blank wall; from Orson's perspective, he enters the room, where he finally finds peace and quiet.

Production

In February 2021, it was announced Jon Hamm, Danny Pudi, Sarah Gadon, and Christopher Heyerdahl joined the cast of the film, with Joachim Back directing from a screenplay by Ted Kupper.

Principal photography began in February 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9, 2022. It was released in theaters and on demand on August 4, 2023.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.