Room (2015)

Movie Info

How far would you go as a mother?

Jack (Jacob Tremblay) lives in Room with Lamp, Skylight, Wardrobe, and other things.  Outside of Room is space and the TV world.  Jack lives in Room with his mother Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) who takes care of him and meets with Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) when he visits.  Jack has just turned five and things are going to change for Jack.  Jack’s mother reveals to him that the stories she told him as a child are a lie and that there is a whole other world outside of Room that they must reach if they hope survive…and Jack must help his mother trick Old Nick for him to see them.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, Room is an adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s award winning 2002 novel and adapted by Donoghue herself.  The film was released to rave reviews and awards for both Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay.  The film won an Academy Award for Best Actress (Larson) with nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.  A *****Spoiler Alert***** is in effect for the rest of the review.

Room feels like an adaptation of the Ohio abduction story…but was written long before the three women were discovered imprisoned in an Ohio home.  That’s because this happens (scary as it seems) far more often than people expect.  Room is a good example of how this can occur and what happens to the people if they survive captivity.

Great performances

I was surprised by Room’s structure.  I expected more “Room” and less “after Room”.  There were a number of times in the movie where I felt that the movie could end, and I would be satisfied.  Instead, the movie switches direction about halfway through the film with Jack and Joy’s escape and how they (and their family) cope with what has occurred.  Both halves of the film are compelling and both halves are equally good (for different reasons).

The acting for the film is stellar.  Brie Larson provides a breakthrough performance as the mother willing to do or try anything to get her son to safety and who realizes that simply being “safe” isn’t enough.  With children actors, it can also be tricky, but Jacob Tremblay also rules his scenes.  He plays a slightly younger character, but he really is the star of the film.  He shows exceptional skill at his age (especially during Room scenes).  After the Room sequence, I like the dynamic set up with Joy’s family (played by William H. Macy, Joan Allen, and Tom McCamus) show different reactions to the abduction.

See the world through someone seeing the world for the first time

Visually, Room is quite amazing.  The shooting area for the film is very tight and it managed to look big.  That parallels the story which has the characters trying to feel like they are living in a big area despite the small size.  The end of the film features a return to Room and Jack is able to see that Room was small and that the world is bigger…and analogy for the whole film.

Room is a great movie with a great cast and looks fantastic.  It isn’t an easy movie, and it looks even rough on the actors involved.  It was a tricky and still managed to surprise.  I am glad I went into Room with little expectations or knowledge of the story and as a result it was one of the cases where I left with the film exceeding my expectations.  See Room and check out some great acting.

Related Links:

The 88th Academy Award Nominations