Room (2015) | Film Review

When first we meet, Joy (Brie Larson), and her 5 year-old son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), they seem to live a life not unlike those of most Americans. Residing in a tiny living space, with a seemingly miniscule budget, the twosome are forced to resort to imagination and conversation to bide the time. There are no video games, one solid television station, and limited social interaction. There are also no open doors.

You see, Ma (as Joy is mostly referred to) was kidnapped 7 years ago, and Jack is the result of this abduction. For the entirety of their captivity, they have been forced to live out their days in a 10×10 garden shed, with the only outside interaction either of them receives is when Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) comes to visit Ma, sequestering Jack to an even tinier incarnation behind a closet door. Can they escape? What will happen to them if they do? Will the world accept them for who they are now? These are questions that will be answered, but none of them explain why this is such an exquisitely crafted tale.

Adapted by Emma Donoghue from her own novel, ‘Room’ is not a typical Hollywood film. Director Lenny Abrahamson takes the time to allow the story to find its way – its sure-footed path – without committing the typical sin of celluloid: Boredom. The pacing as we learn of their horrific incarceration – completely through the blissful innocence of Jack – is casual and nuanced. As the story unfolds, I expected a certain brand of crime-thriller aesthetic to erupt from the narrative. Maybe a whodunit or a revenge thriller. ‘When does Liam Neeson show up?’ was an oft-repeated thought.

It never happens. The crime is not what matters here, nor is the why it happened – how it bonds a mother and child after such a terrifying ordeal is the road we are careening down here. The audience will have to skimp out on the satisfaction of a sadistic rapist receiving his due process, and the visceral thrills that accompany our heroine dispatching her captor to the tune of our thunderous applause will never be heard. Every ounce of framing in this story would definitely allow for every conceivably violent plot twist of this ilk you could imagine, yet this is not THAT movie.  The sublime beauty of ‘Room’ lies in how inconsequential the movie ultimately feels about the very incident that put this journey in motion to begin with.

The old W.C. Fields adage of ‘Never work with children or animals’ was obviously coined long before Jacob Tremblay was born. This young actor, this child, is tasked with the monumental achievement of performing as our only window into a painfully dire scenario. By doing so – and in no small measure by casting a gifted young auteur like Tremblay – allows this story to avoid the clichéd traps of genre films, and instead show the wonder of virgin eyes unspoiled by the corruptions of the world. For Jack, all of the anger and pain everyone feels on the outer side of the four walls of his ‘Room’ confuses and confounds him. His mother’s anguish eludes him, he simply does not understand because his mother has done everything in her power to shield him from the very truth she desperately now needs him to comprehend, yet Jack knows he must find a way to survive. For both of them.

Brie Larson turns in a tragically punishing performance as the broken yet resilient ‘Ma’ who finds courage as many parents do – from the singular need to fiercely protect their child from the realities of evil. Watching Ma’s story unravel – all through the curiosity and frustration of her son – as she struggles to adapt to their evolving scenario and fight her way through a never-ending nightmare, will twist even the hardest of hearts into a sponge mop of tears. This is the ‘Rocky’ of kidnapping dramas.

‘Room’ deserves to be seen, whether it is on a 60’ canvas or the comfort of your living room, I don’t particularly care – but DO see it. This is not a pretentious art film begging to be idolized for its random moments of isolated pontification, nor is it blatantly pandering ‘Oscar Bait’ with meandering monologues about our personal boundaries. This is an inspiring tale of the bond between a parent and child, even in the most desolate of circumstances. Two brilliant performances and a script willing to let the audience piece the puzzle together for themselves combine for one of the most emotional experiences I have had in a theater in some time. The kind I encourage every one of you to endure as soon as possible.

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider