Review of Room (2015) by Foxgrove — 15 Oct 2015

Emma Donoghue’s screen adaptation of her own book is superior in every way to the novel which was told in a style that would not be to everyone’s taste. The story of a young woman abducted of the street and kept prisoner in a garden shed for seven years, during which time she gives birth to a son now five, could have failed on so many levels. Therefore, it is great to report that director Lenny Abrahamson has done an incredible job in finding the perfect visual style with which to tell this potentially small and insular story. In the first half he resolutely refuses to be enslaved by the claustrophobic confines of the room itself keeping the camera up close a lot of the time on the faces of his actors, trusting in their ability to keep the viewer engaged. Precise editing and interesting camera angles also help the film achieve a seamless fluidity that one never dreamed could be possible from reading the book.

The actors are outstanding. Brie Larson makes her biggest impact ever as the mother prepared to sacrifice all for her son and, as the boy, Jacob Tremblay is just magnificent. That such a mature and natural performance has been achieved by one so young is truly astonishing. It is fair to say that in lesser hands the quality of the film would have been compromised without his level of performance. The success of the film ultimately hinges on the believability of the child and young Mr Tremblay delivers in spades. Joan Allen pops up as grandma adding fireworks to one scene in particular, but William H Macy is totally wasted. The film is on occasion genuinely moving without being overly manipulative, although the lovely score does play some part in this. It is easy to see how it won the audience award at Toronto as I’m sure most people who see it will love it.