Review of Room (2015) by Harry W — 22 Jun 2016

Earning Brie Larson the Academy Award for Best Actress, Room's guarentee of solid acting sounded like a remarkable experience.

In comparison to most of the Academy Award-recognized films of 2015, Room's budget is a minuscule $13 million. As a result, it is clearly a film which cannot disguise any shortcomings underneath a spectacle. Instead it relies on writing and performances to carry it, and that is precisely what it gets.

Given the recognition Room has earned it is difficult to go into the experience without at least some awareness of the narrative. However, upon careful analysis of the narrative its interesting to note that the storytelling is not explicit. While concepts are hinted at from the beginning of the film, it is difficult to ascertain the context of why Joy "Ma" Newson and Jack Newson live in a room and pretend that the world outside doesn't exist. We are given the perspective of Jack in which we see things happen but are given no explicit confirmation of what is occuring. Sensible audiences can probably determine the story context based on their own common sense, but the way in which Emma Donoghue's script cleverly leaves Jack in the dark provides an interesting perspective for the story. Occasionally it may take the focus away from Joy who is arguably the character that audiences have come to see, but even if it detracts from her into some rather slow territory at times there is still a remarkable feeling of childish wonder that comes from this. It doesn't always provide us with a direct perspective on the drama thats occuring, but the way in which viewers are connected to the child protagonist of the story is really an admirable achievement. The cinematography can also be largely credited to this because it often gives viewers a first-person perspective of what Jack is seeing and adds slight shakes to offer a sense of realism to add to the experience. The cinematography is a key factor in supporting the script ambitions in Room, and the technique also manages to consistently provide viewers with an understanding of how confined the characters are regardless of where in the world they physically stand.

Even though it has such dark themes and harsh context, Room is not a thriller obsessed with condemnation of crime. Instead, it is a gripping yet uplifting story of surviving it and appreciating the virtues of life that exist beyond its harsh reality. The film never loses sight of its drama, but the undeniable human spirit in it gives such a rich heart to Room that succesfully encourages audiences enough to occasionally forget the cold nature of the story's context. Room manages to consistently strike viewers with unpredictable drama and lift their spirits without being emotionally manipulative about it, and its a new standard of filmmaking for director Lenny Abrahamson.

Even when Room veers into slower territory, the one aspect of the feature that is completely flawless is the strength of the leading actors.

Brie Larson's leading performance is a truly captivating effirt. Both her performance and appearance echo memories of Summer Glau's role as River Tam on Firefly (2002); both characters carry emotional trauma at authoritarian mistreatment and severe depression yet are supported mainly by the love of one close family member. Obviously the realism of Room is quite a contrast to the space western context of Firefly, but the similarity between the characters made a real connection with me. This is partially because Firefly is my favourite TV show of all time, but also because within their respective contexts there are key similarities between the characters. In the case of Brie Larson, she grasps the emotional complexity of the character with instinctive dramatic talent. The bleak look of emotional withdrawal her face contrasted with the intense chemistry she shares with Jacob Tremblay provides audiences with a clear sign of her headspace. Brie Larson finds the perfect balance between restrained and tenacious intensity in Room, grasping a powerful realism in her performance which is likely to be appreciated most of all by actual mothers. It's impossible not to sympathize with the character, but its audiences who can empathize who should appreciate the mother-son relationship most of all. Brie Larson leads Room with a truly exceptional performance.

Jacob Trembley's performance is the kind which raises the standard of child acting for a new generation. There are so many themes in Room which a child of his age should not be able to comprehend, but given the nature of his performance you would never have guessed it. There are so many times when I can't tell whether Jacob Trembley is executing powerful acting through a tenacious understanding of the narrative universe or if he has been told as much as the character is meant to know and is expressing genuine childish innocence. It is surreal that Jacob Trembley was only 8 at the time of filming Room, but the real skill that he carries as an actor is sure to take him far in his career. Jacob Trembley shares a remarkable chemistry with Brie Larson in which he works with her to battle for audiences attention through a remarkable chemistry that integrates raw intensity and gentle interactions as a means of grasping the full scale of their relationship. It is perhaps the most realistic depiction of a mother-daughter relationship I have ever seen because it encapsulates the close interaction between the two, the somewhat antagonistic reactions on behalf of the child and the mother's fight to manage it all to ensure long-lasting love is maintaed between them. Jacob Trembley and Brie Larson provide audiences with a rich depiction of family which carries too much realism to disregard.

Joan Allen also supplies an intense supporting performance.

Room is a powerful depiction of a mother-son relationship and childhood innocence which celebrates life without neglecting powerful emotional drama, and even at its slower moments it is consistently bolstered by performances of pure transcendence on behalf of the amazing Brie Larson and Jacob Trembley.