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Room
Other // R // January 22, 2016
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Fandango]
![](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/196/1453413178_1.jpg)
Shortly after this glimpse up at the skylight in this box, Room begins its depiction of the daily affairs of Joy "Ma" Newsome (Brie Larson), a mid-twenties woman, and Jack (Jacob Tremblay), her long-haired son, both pale and somewhat scraggly but otherwise in healthy condition. For seven years, the pair have been living under (electronic) lock and key between the walls of a renovated shed, working with minimal supplies dropped off by their captor, "Old Nick". Joy attempts to make the space as normal of a living environment as she can for her son -- cooking, cleaning, exercising, bathing, playing games -- in between "visits" from Nick, an unsettling but otherwise consistent situation that has transformed into a routine of sorts. As Jack gets older and the circumstances become more explosive, that stability comes into question, putting their lives in danger. Desperate, Joy formulates some incredibly risky ideas of how she might be able to get her son out of the room, with the hope that he'll also be able to direct authorities to her location.
Captured in overcast blues that stress what little warmth remains in their skin, Emma Donoghue's story has every opportunity to exaggerate the dramatic tension within these disturbing conditions, to magnify scenes of mistreatment or despair for heavier impact. Her concentration on the relative ordinariness of their daily routine veers from exploitation for a more rational and profound viewpoint, with the grim reality of their situation emerging in smaller conflicts -- tooth pains, burnt bread, pest intruders -- that reveal
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Eventually, of course, they do. A change in circumstances threatens their modified way of life, both in the immediate odds of their survival and long-term psychological impact, transforming the tenor of Room from disheartening drama with glimmers of hope to profound suspense and anxiety. While the tenderness of Joy's composure offers poignant moments early in the story, in how she maintains her self-control and disguises the truths of their situation for Jack, the enormity of Brie Larson's exceptional performance only begins to reach its profound highs upon her character's frantic realization that their livelihood is no longer guaranteed. Fear, defeat, and burdened dedication emerge in the actress' wide, strained eyes and tight body language, escalating further as she formulates risky solutions with their paltry resources. Bolstered by Larson's stirring portrayal, the escape from their prison forms into one of the starkest depictions of perilous desperation of recent memory, underscored by emotive post-rock music from the band This Will Destroy You and cinematography that embraces what it might look like to gaze upon our vast world for the first time as a sheltered five-year-old.
This bond between mother and son that develops throughout their time in the shed only deepens -- and complicates -- once Room surveys the damage that the experience already forced upon them, wisely depicted through the chain of events following their getaway. Exceptionally realized by Jacob Tremblay, Jack's hesitation and dread lead the film's emotional tone through the psychological challenges faced by the family after such a prolonged separation from society,
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Instead, Room earns its challenging emotional payoffs and catharsis through the masterfully-handled honesty of its tribulations, guided by Abrahamson's soulful composition and the meaningful performances under his care. Shrouded in the depression and wistfulness she's allowed to have over what's happened, an evolution of Brie Larson's performance as Joy forces the film through a thought-provoking look at the difficulties of recovery, bridging the gap between optimism in traumatic circumstances and downhearted introspection during which should be a therapeutic period. And it never abandons that artistic standpoint that started with a swirling ceiling, either: amid photographs, toys, and dogs both real and imaginary, Room relishes each moment of emotion and sensory overload surrounding a mother and her son learning how to be normal once again in a big, bright world of possibility. It's a magnificent film that understands how to genuinely inspire through its diverse reflections on resilience.
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