Review of Room (2015) by Victor T — 27 Feb 2016

The idea of "the world you know is a lie" has been used extensibly in cinema, from sci-fi ("Total Recall", "They Live", "Dark City", "The Matrix") to the recent wave of YA adaptations, but almost no film has gone to the origins of that idea: Plato´s Cave Allegory. But in 2015, director Lenny Abrahamson gave audiences a drama that modernizes Plato´s Allegory, and it became one of the most critically acclaimed films of its year. Does it deserves the acclaim it got?

Joy Newsome is a young woman who is trapped inside a small soundproof room. Inside this room she gives birth a boy who she names Jack. Being born inside this room, Jack is unaware of the world, he believes that the room is the whole world, but Joy know that's not healthy and tries to correct the situation.

The idea of making a modern drama inspired by Plato´s work is inspiring and daring, so I was more than curious to see what the finished result of this experiment was and I will admit that I hadn't been so surprised by a film in a long time. "Room" counts with an impressive performance by Brie Larson that undeniably deserves an Academy Award, Abrahamson´s directing is so subtle and minimalist that you almost let go the brilliance of his use of perspective, the overall idea of having the child be our point of view is daring, beautiful and intriguing; the screenplay is extremely well written and wisely knows where to focus on, the score is minimalistic but it is used appropriately and it manages to add felling to the scenes it's in, the storytelling relies completely into the visuals, despite the use of numerous voiceovers; the themes are heartbreaking and inspiring, the balance of tone is perfect as it can go from cute and inspiring to harsh and dark, and it has one of the most impressive child actors I have ever seen.

"Room" is one of the most intriguing, inspiring and creative indie films I have seen in a long time. It truly shows the magic of simplicity and how magical a story can be. Compared to all the films I have seen from the solid/impressive year that 2015 was, I dare say that "Room" is my favorite (followed by "Mad Max: Fury Road", "Inside Out", and "The Force Awakens").