Review of Room (2015) by Bttrmovies — 02 Feb 2016

“A young woman and her 5-year-old son are held captive in a single-roomed shed behind a man’s house, closed off to the outside world.” Sounds like a downer, right? I felt the same when I first read the description of Room. However, there was a second half to this synopsis that I missed, which I will paraphrase: “After they manage to escape the room, the son, Jack, discovers this newfound world and the beauty within it.” (And no, that’s not a spoiler; it’s shown in the trailer and is mentioned on its IMDB page). I walked into this film apprehensive and ready to be feeling depressed afterwards, and to my pleasant surprise, I left feeling quite the opposite. There’s a word to describe Room that might catch you off-guard: hopeful. Yes, believe it or not, Room is a film that will leave you feeling hopeful and optimistic; a sense that you can overcome any obstacle, no matter how overwhelming it may be.

The acting in this film is astounding all around, particularly from our two leads. Brie Larson (who plays the mother, Joy) gives the performance of her career. I’ve been a fan of Brie Larson since I first saw her in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (a personal favorite of mine) and she has yet to underwhelm me. When I saw Carol, I thought for sure that Cate Blanchett would be taking home the Best Actress Oscar this year; that is, until I saw Room. This is a very talented young actress who you’ll surely be seeing a lot more of post-awards season. This brings me to Jacob Tremblay, who plays Jack, the son and main focus of the film. Here is a kid with more acting chops than anyone his age should have. As superb as Larson was, Tremblay steals the show. The film is shown entirely through Jack’s perspective (an element that turned a potentially middle-of-the-road movie into something unique and special), and it would not have worked had Jack not been such a believable character. Jack was born while Joy was captive, so “room” (as they call it) is the only world he knows. There are a few scenes of Jack discovering things for the first time where, I’ll admit, I got a little misty.

This movie would not have worked as well as it did without the direction by Lenny Abrahamson. He perfectly captures the child’s perspective, somehow making the single room they’re held in feel bigger than it is, which is exactly how a 5-year-old would see this world that he has known all his life. There are many shots where you see through Jack’s eyes, and it’s exactly how someone that age would interpret and understand those certain situations. Emma Donoghue also deserves praise for writing the screenplay (which is based off the book that she also wrote). I’m on the fence about authors who also write the screenplays to their film adaptations; sometimes they work incredibly well (Gillian Flynn with “Gone Girl”) and sometimes, not so much (Suzanne Collins with the first “Hunger Games” movie). I’ll be adding Emma Donoghue onto the list of ones that worked. Jack’s voiceover was so descriptive and flowed so well, it felt like it was ripped right off the page.

My only complaint about Room - and this is a nitpick - is that it sort of loses momentum in the middle. Thankfully, things pick back up in the third act and makes the slight lull forgivable. Overall, I loved this movie and can’t wait to watch it again.