Review of Room (2015) by Wayne K — 22 Feb 2016

Room is a movie of raw emotionality and, at times, genuine magic. Owing much to the infamous Joseph Fritzl case, the story opens in the eponymous location, and immediately introduces us to the characters we will see grow and evolve, not just out of their secluded prison, but into their new lives.

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are perfectly cast, inhabiting their respective roles with complete dedication and believability. They react to each other very realistically, and the films highlights are when the mother tries to explain to her son the concept of the real world he has never had the chance to see.

We stay in Room for close to 50 minutes. A wise decision, since it gives us a glimpse of what it must be like to live a life of intense, grindingly monotonous claustrophobia. An especially beautiful scene is when the boy looks up at the naked sky for the first ever time, and is frozen in wonderment.

The main issues with the movie occur, ironically, once they've escaped Room. From there we are forced to go through the classic PTSD rigmarole which, while sensitively done, seems somewhat sanitised, with both characters adapting to the outside world surprisingly fast, considering how long they were locked up.

Larson deserves acclaim for her performance, but I can't shake the feeling that she received so many accolades because of the character she plays, not how she played it. On screen portrayals of trauma, if done well, are always popular when awards season rolls round.

With that said, I would still strongly recommend this film. It's uplifting when it needs to be and deeply emotional when it has to be, but never makes the mistake of descending into melodrama. See it for the performances, the drama and it's take on the outside world, as seen through the bright eyes of a naïve but incredibly brave child.