There's really nothing I can say about this film that hasn't been said already, but that does not change the pure impact that this movie left in me. Lenny Abrahamson's Room is an adaptation of the novel by the same name which follows the lives of a young mother and son as they are held captive for years and finally escape. While I have not personally read the book to testify its faithfulness, this film is a testament on its own of incredibly personal and tender filmmaking. Since only hearing incredible things about the power of love throughout this film, I decided to give it a watch and, frankly, watching this movie by myself was a mistake due to the sheer amount of emotion. This movie left a hole in my heart and filled it right back up in the most moving ways possible, thanks to the writing from Emma Donoghue and two fantastic performances from these leads.
Joy (Brie Larson), known to her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) as Ma, was kidnapped at the age of 17, raped, and held captive for seven years by a man known only as Old Nick (Sean Bridgers); raising her son all on her own in a minuscule, confined room that they both grew to call home. When Jack turned 5, Joy decided it was time to tell him the truth about the world that they lived in and together, they hatched a plan to escape. After hearing so many avidly incredible things about this film and only knowing its basic premise, I was completely surprised when only halfway through this film the two leads escaped. I kept wondering where the film could possibly go from here given its tone that was established in its first hour. Thankfully the wonderful script from Emma Donoghue, who is also the author of the novel, left a bit of room for surprises as this film turned into one of the most interestingly-developed stories. This movie transformed from a tightly-shot escape drama to an examination of extroverted life for these two victims. This movie surprised me with its beautiful writing that dealt with so many different aspects of victim culture and the hardships that they have to endure even after the crime has been committed.
As well-developed and amazing as the writing was in the second half of Room does not discredit anything prior. The first half of this movie set in the small, enclosed space does not miss a single beat. For an entire hour of being in the same room, there was not a single scene that disinterested me. Every single detail and every single element of the relationship between these two leads and their contrasting abilities to handle what was possibly on the outside made for some of the most compelling dynamics. This was also aided by the score from Stephen Rennicks and the cinematography from Danny Cohen. Rennicks' musical abilities are unmatched throughout this movie. While his score is subtle, it comes in at just the right moments to really tear apart the audience. The gentle piano and more intense scenes really pave the way for the emotion that is emerging from the script. Cohen's cinematography also captures the perfect tone for the different pieces of this film. Even though this movie takes place in one room for its majority, the way that Cohen handles the camera makes it seem like the biggest place on Earth. I loved how characteristic this was of Jack's view of the small area, as the little details like these make for precisely tender filmmaking.
The greatest parts of this film, however, are definitely the performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay and their chemistry together. Both the 26-year old Larson and 9-year old Tremblay give the performances of their lifetimes as their roles of mother and son. Each of these artists is able to tap into such primal wants and desires in their roles that work so well given the circumstances of their situation. Joy just wants her son to be safe while Jack just wants his mom to be happy. What I loved most about these characters and the actors portraying them was that they were each able to bring such divisive energy and nuanced expression to the different scenes and scenarios that they shared together. While Joy saw the world for how brooding and dark it could be, thanks to the horrendous actions by Old Nick, Jack simply saw the room for how it was, as it was everything he had ever known. Once these two escaped is when the more contrasting developments for these characters came out. Upon entering the real world outside of the room, Jack's sense of environment had been shattered as his levels of childlike wonder reached new heights; but for Joy, she had never known what it was like to raise a kid that wasn't by her side every waking moment. These character developments led to some of the most emotionally-affecting writing that any mother can only hope will never happen to her child. This film also heavily touches on the powerful effect of media and how devastating it can be all for the sake of a story. That was one of my favorite subplots in this film's second half, as it was really the driving factor that pushed the limits of these tragically-healing characters.
Room is one of the most simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming cinematic experiences you could ever have. This film will undoubtedly leave you laughing, crying, and everything in between as the story takes hold of you from the very beginning and doesn't let go. Larson and Tremblay absolutely shine in this film together and their chemistry is as unmatched as the amount of care that was put into making this phenomenal work of art.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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