2015 | Dir. Lenny Abrahamson | 117 Minutes
"Can my strong be her strong too?"
A boy named Jack turns five and his entire universe is in a space he and his mother call "Room." Jack's mother decides that Jack is old enough to know that truth of their situation, that she was abducted by the man they refer to as "Old Nick" and locked in Room before Jack was born. She plots their escape so that Jack may set foot in the world outside Room.
Lenny Abrahamson's Room is a gem of a film that is both harrowing and incredibly touching. Adapted for the screen by Emma Donoghue from her novel, the narrative unfolds from Jack's innocent perspective and up to a certain point, only Jack's mother and the audience are clued in on the true horror of the profoundly awful situation. The film shifts gears and, albeit in a different mode, continues to be compelling at the halfway point after a tense and exciting escape sequence, focusing on Jack's mother struggle to re-enter the outside world while Jack learns to interact with other people for the first time. Abrahamson's direction is commendable, as Room is expertly paced and, at times, visually uplifting.
The film is driven by excellent performances from Brie Larson as Jack's mother, Joy, and child actor Jacob Tremblay as Jack. Larson provides phenomenal range, displaying a captivating combination of deep strength and vulnerability. Tremblay is a brilliant and adorable young performer, capably carrying the narrative. Sean Bridgers is appropriately despicable as Old Nick. Bringing warmth to the second half of the film, Joan Allen and Tom McCamus appear in the second half of the film as Jack's grandmother and her husband Leo. Acclaimed actor William H. Macy has a small part as Jack's distant, unaccepting grandfather.
Room is an exploration of the perseverance of real love and the boundless potential of a young mind that must never be confined. While the film may be centered on a heinous crime, it effectively demonstrates how the human spirit may endure.
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Brie Larson (Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and The Marvels)
