Review: Room

***** I’ll be getting spoiler-y later on (and will warn you when the time comes), but I’d actually advise you to not read this at all until after you’ve seen the film. Going in as blind as possible really does enhance the viewing. *****

 

The story of five year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) his mother (Brie Larson) and the sound-proof ‘room’ they find themselves currently existing in. The only other person they have contact with is Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the man who kidnapped Jack’s mother several years ago and rapes her on a weekly basis (in an area away from Jack). So far, she has managed to keep Jack (who has only known this current existence) happy and healthy by creating a fantasy world where nothing exists outside of the room. She has also managed to protect him from Old Nick. However, the older Jack gets, the more inquisitive he gets, and his mother knows she needs to do something about that.

 

Obviously not to be confused with Tommy Wiseau’s cinematic mental breakdown of ineptitude “The Room”. Even before seeing this 2015 film from director Lenny Abrahamson (the bizarro “Frank”), I was so incredibly pleased to see Brie Larson win the Best Actress award at the Oscars. I love her, she’s talented, beautiful, and seems very down to Earth. Nice and talented people being recognised is always a good thing. If you haven’t seen her performance in “Short Term 12”, seek it out. Right now. I’m not kidding, go right now. Having now seen this film adapted from a book by author Emma Donoghue herself, I found it initially a little off-putting, but was eventually won over by it, and Larson is obviously a big reason for that. By off-putting I mean that for about 18 minutes at the very least, we were given no explanation for the scenario we are faced with, and although intriguing, I was getting a tad frustrated and restless. Although once revealed I felt it was slightly straining credibility, I have to admit, it’s worth being patient for it. It’s interesting and creepy, and although the basic plot is hardly new, Donoghue and Abrahamson manage to tell it in a really unique way. More importantly, my initial issues with the credibility turned out to be mostly meaningless. Yes, I thought the slow game Larson was playing was a touch unlikely, but I had another concern that ultimately turned out to be my mistake. ***** Pretty much spoiler-y from here on out, so proceed with caution ye inexperienced traveller ***** I  thought I was seeing the story of a mother who pretends her little girl is a boy so that the big bad rape-y kidnapper doesn’t mess with the kid, too. That’s not the case, it’s a boy who just happens to have long hair. Fair enough, though young Jacob Tremblay looked slightly feminine to me, without trying to be insulting. And by the way, the story has more twists and turns than a pretzel, it’s really fascinating stuff.

 

Young Tremblay is very good, but this is Larson’s show. She’s the whole show, really and is excellent. It’s really interesting to watch her and Tremblay adjust (or in Larson’s case, re-adjust) to the big ‘ol wide world, considering Tremblay has never known or experienced it (They also share an obvious bond that doesn’t seem forced in the slightest. I bet they’re great friends now off-screen). This isn’t a true story, but if you know your recent true crimes, you’ll see similarities to a real-life kidnapping case, though the novel was written before that case. This film gets better and more heartbreakingly real as it goes along. I should also mention that Sean Bridgers is credibly ‘normal’-seeming enough but just ‘off’ enough to convince in the role. Special mention should also be made of an almost unrecognisable Joan Allen doing a lot with very little, and Tom McCamus is warm and likeable as Allen’s current husband.

 

Just outside my Top 10 films for the year, this one takes a little while to draw you in, as I found things slightly maddening. However, stick with it, because this film takes some twists and turns (not in the Shyamalan sense, though) and ultimately ends up rather moving and certainly very interesting. Brie Larson is absolutely terrific (she didn’t just win an Oscar for wearing no makeup, trust me), and she’s backed up by a fine cast.

 

Rating: B