Room, 2015.
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Tom McCamus, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson and William H. Macy
SYNOPSIS:
Love knows no boundaries
Room is a harrowing piece of filmmaking where a mother and five-year-old son are confined to the titular claustrophobic space. The life that Ma/Joy (Brie Larson) is able to breathe within those four walls however, is nothing short of extraordinary, and a testament to the human spirit’s unbreakable willpower to make something out of nothing.
Especially when the goal is to raise a child with no connection to the outside world, or even another room. Not only do all of the inanimate objects within the suitably denominated “Room” get spoken to and referred to as living things, Ma plants stories into young Jack’s gullible mind (outer space lying beyond the walls), and the two regularly partake in activities together like baking a birthday cake. There is also a very creative usage of the television inside the room. It’s all meant to hide him from the very dark reality of their situation in a loving, nurturing way that keeps his mind eased and stimulated.
Once again, the pair aren’t there of their own free will, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I should even divulge what is going on. There are some movies that will yield a greater appreciation based on knowing next to nothing going in, and to confirm this suspicion I will admit I would have been disappointed having seen the trailer beforehand. The amount of detail spilled within those two minutes cannot take away the fact that this is a landmark movie of the decade, but you’re simply better off not knowing what is coming. It is absolutely baffling that the marketing team behind Room would actually choose to showcase various elements of the planned escape, including how it unfolds, and some of the aftermath.
The only rationality I can think of is that Room is a highly subversive film for its genre, which could be a selling point. Most movies would leap skyward into over-exaggeration and familiar plot beats, but Room is first and foremost a character driven story examining the bond between mother and child, and the heavy psychological trauma that is brought about on both from dealing with this incongruous experience of forever being in one small room. Most commendably, it chooses to keep embarking down this route, even over when viewers would expect the film to adapt into something more conventional. It is deeply emotional, both devastatingly heartbreaking and triumphantly uplifting.
The pillar of all this working is the acting; Brie Larson (one of the most underrated actresses working today) delivers a poignant performance that dives into her distressed state of mind. She has many emotions to juggle that run the spectrum of sadness, happiness, and everything in between. Although she is most definitely Oscar worthy (it would be a Jake Gyllenhaal Nightcrawler level of a crime if she isn’t at least recognized with a nomination), Jacob Tremblay delivers a breakout performance and will most likely go on to become the youngest actor ever nominated for a Lead Oscar.
Since Room is adapted from a novel of the same name, it injects much of Jack’s first-person perspective narration into the film variation, which outstandingly works because not only is he fantastic, but we get to understand the mind of a young child thrust into the most unorthodox upbringing. Some of his observations and thoughts regarding the situation around him are both charmingly humorous yet also alarmingly terrifying; he deserves a normal life and is being robbed of one. Both lead performances also depend on each other, not just for chemistry to make everything hit hard, but dramatically too; they need each other for strength and to keep on moving forward.
Jacob Tremblay also gets better as the film continues, due to director Lenny Abrahamson’s logical decision to shoot the film chronologically. Furthermore, Abrahamson and his production team do a great job at populating Room with objects, and film scenes at wise anglers to make the space feel larger than it is; their universe as it’s referred to. This whole technique is also brilliantly juxtaposed in the film’s final moments. The creation of Room itself turns out to be as vital as strongly defining our protagonists; it’s essentially its own character.
The supporting cast of fairly recognizable names such as Joan Allen and William H. Macy are all competent and powerful in their own right, but again, I would be doing readers a disservice by divulging any further into the narrative. This is a movie that lives and breathes off of unpredictability, originality, and raw human emotion in the face of the most unusual circumstances.
All you really need to know is that Room is a deeply moving film about the inexplicable, tender, unbreakable bond between parent and child; it’s one of the greatest love stories of all time. Whether the film is having you cry into a pillow or feeding you hope and happiness. Room is riveting to unparalleled degrees.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=W04aXcyQ0NQ
Originally published October 27, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
