Room (2015)

Genre

Drama

Director

Lenny Abrahamson

Country

Canada | Ireland

Cast

Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus, Amanda Brugel, Joe Pingue, Megan Park, Cas Anvar, Wendy Crewson

Storyline

Like any good mother, Ma (Brie Larson) dedicates herself to keeping Jack (Jacob Tremblay) happy and safe. Their life, however, is anything but typical, as they are trapped and confined to a windowless space that Ma has named Room. Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room, but as Jack's curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma's resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world.

Opinion

This is one of the films I've been waiting for the most for two reasons: Lenny Abrahamson directed it, and it has been highly acclaimed. I guess it's not going to be easy to say something that hasn't already been said, but I'll try.

Filled with love, hurt and determination to live, "Room" is one of those films that get under your skin and take your breath away, and does not just tell a story, but makes you reflect on the ugliness of mankind. 

I haven't read the book upon the film is based on yet, but having the novelist, Emma Donoghue, to write the screenplay was a smart choice, because nobody but her could have done justice to such a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming story.

The film consists of two apparently separated parts. The first part, somewhat claustrophobic, is set in a shabby room, where there are the whole lives of Jack and his mother. Nothing but extraordinary, this part tells the boundless love between a mother and her son, a deep bond made even deeper by the ugly circumstances. The second part is the after. It tells the psychological effect of the imprisonment, and shows the protagonist, Ma, with her fears, her neurosis and the difficulty to deal with the real world, which is even more scary than room.

The van scene, without any doubt one of the most emotional in recent films, is so strong, and filled with tension, hope and fear to make you hold your breath. The credits go to the point of view, Jack's, unaware both of evil and good, the spectacular direction and a screenplay that hardly could have been better.

"Room" is hard to watch at some points, especially because the horrors have happened in real life, but some other points, the funny, lighthearted ones, balance the film, and take part in the making one of the best films of the year.

As for the acting, only one word can describe it: astonishing. Brie Larson gives the performance of her lifetime, showing so many layers of Ma that it's impossible not to care about her, or about her son, and adds so much emotional depth to her character as she superbly shows the psychological damage of those seven long years held captive. Needless to say she proves she can do dramatic roles. Stealing the show, however, is 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay, who couldn't have played the role of Jack any better. He brought so much depth and emotions in the character that leaves you speechless. It's hard to believe he didn't get an Oscar nomination.

Now that you are done reading, I suggest you watch this film. It is unsettling, of course it is, but it is equally powerful. 

You're gonna love it. - What? - The world.