Film 44: Room (2015)

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Written by: Emma Donoghue
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers

One more film in my quest to see every Best Picture nominee before the announcement, I actually watched this back-to-back with Spotlight (2015).

Room managed to break my heart every ten minutes. I had no expectations going into this film, I never saw any of the promotional material, I didn't even know what the movie was about, and I managed to leave the film bawling like a baby.

*Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead*

Five-year old boy Jack (Tremblay) has spent his entire life trapped in a small shed, and his mother (Larson) trapped with him.

The film's plot is simple and small in scale, which allows for it to focus almost entirely on the development of these two characters. The majority of the film is told through the worldview of Jack, and I instantly felt the impact that the film was trying to convey as I realised the reason for the film's title. The shed is not a room, it's Room because it is literally Jack's entire world; he has no concept of the idea that there could ever be another room besides the one he exists in. Bed is not a bed because there's no other bed, sink is not a sink because there is no other sink, you get the idea.

A lot of the film goes to that length to keep the perspective within this world view. Early in the film we're introduced to Old Nick (Bridgers), a man who comes into Room whom Ma tells Jack to hide from in Wardrobe. Rather than being told explicitly who Old Nick is and what he's doing, the film shows us Jack's perspective from within Wardrobe and trusts the audience to come to understand who Old Nick is and why you'll hate him with all your being within minutes of knowing him.

While this idea is tragic, the story goes in the right direction by having Ma and Jack come up with an escape plan. Ma dispels the magic of Room and helps him to understand that there is such a thing as outside; it's a brutal couple of scenes as we see Jack fight back against this idea before coming to accept it, and we empathise with Ma as she struggle maintain hope that this idea could work.

 The scenes in which Jack escapes never lets up on the tension, you don't know if he's going to be able to get away, you don't know if Old Nick will spot the ruse and catch Jaack, you're left unsure and on the edge of your seat the entire time. What's really effective about this scene, however, is that it juxtaposes this tension with the true wonder and awe that Jack feels when he sees the world for the first time. It's an indescribable feeling; you're simultaneously sharing in Jack's moment as he realises that the world is real, and practically jumping up and down because you know he needs to get away from Old Nick as quickly as possible.

From here, I won't spoil anything else plot-related; I've already had to abridge what I've wanted to say about this film, and I haven't even finished the first act. Just go watch the movie already.

I know I've been talking a lot about the film's use of Jack's perspective, but I really need to emphasise how impressive the performances from the actors are. Obviously Jack is a great lens to view the world through, but Tremblay's performance makes Jack a human being, a real, living child with emotions. Jack gets angry, he cries, he laughs joyfully, and it's all because Tremblay manages to give a performance that I didn't think was possible from child. Brie Larson is also incredible as Ma. She's always been one of my favourite actresses working today, especially after such great work in Short Term 12 (2013), but this is truly her best performance yet and she absolutely deserves every award she won for it.

The most important part of their performance, however, is how they act together. There's a tangible connection between the two on-screen as mother and son as they fight and play and talk. This film shows the relationship between Jack and Ma, bad teeth and all, and Tremblay and Larson share each sublime and awful moment without hesitation. The film is about the two of them, and they give it their all to appear as believable as humanly possible the whole way.  

The Verdict: Room is immaculate. I was truly in awe on my first viewing, and on my second and even third viewing I'm still entirely impressed by the performances of Larson and Tremblay and the direction that conveys Jack's perspective so innocently. The character arcs, the tension and drama, they're all still emotionally compelling because they are centred around the relationship between mother and son. I know this is moot at this point, but before the Academy Awards, this was my pick for Best Picture. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind that they me need a tissue box or two going in to it.

Rating: 10/10

Published August 6th, 2016