Room

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]got the chance to watch Room on board an 8-hour flight back to uni after the Christmas break. Despite the small screen, tiny seats and general discomfort; I reckon it’s the best way to watch the film. The extremely close, bordering on pervasive, examination of the mother-child relationship really sits well when you’re buckled down on an aircraft surrounded by small children (and their parents).

Joy and her parents. Image: StudioCanal

Room tells the story of a mother, Joy, and her son, Jack, played by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, who are kept captive in a shed, the titular room. That’s the basic sell of the film, at least. However, a large chunk of the film actually takes place after they are saved from their captivity and focuses on both Joy and Jack’s assimilation back into the ‘real’ world. From there, we see that their escape back into reality is not really the happy ending that you’re expecting from a film about a mother and son being held captive.

That’s one of the finer nuances that the film manages to thread delicately through. At its core, this is a film about family relationships ­– mother-son, mother-daugther, grandmother-son, parents-daughter. The question of the abduction is merely a prompt to isolate these characters from each other. In that way, the film does an excellent job of moving away from the shocking case of abduction in order to draw the audience into the complex changes that Joy and Jack have gone through as they try to adapt to real life.

At its core, this is a film about family relationships ­– mother-son, mother-daugther, grandmother-son, parents-daughter. The question of the abduction is merely a prompt to isolate these characters from each other. 

Image: StudioCanal

It’s no surprise then that both Larson and Tremblay have received accolades for their performances. Larson, in particular, plays the progression from strong mother through to fragile daughter among her family with detailed complexity.

In all honesty, Larson just steals the show from anyone else in this film. She goes through so many periods as a character that it’s hard to remember that she’s still the same actress behind them all.

At the same time, Tremblay’s raw, albeit sometimes rash performance, holds up well for the actor’s breakout. It’s really a shame almost, that he’s up against Larson in the film because her performance almost eclipses his, which is unfortunate given the strong position that his character holds in the film.

In all, Room is a film that stands out solely on its actors’ ability to deliver an outstanding performance. In that vein it succeeds. Its success is also what delivers the punching emotional depth that carries through each relationship portrayed in the film. I’ll warn you, this isn’t a gritty film about escaping one’s capture nor is it a heartwarming one about the bond between mother and child.

Room is a film that stands out solely on its actors’ ability to deliver an outstanding performance. In that vein it succeeds. 

Most of the time you’ll find yourself stuck in a mix of comprehending whether the characters are good or bad and the end the call is yours to make. The fact that the actors are able to convey such ambivalence is the reason everyone should watch Room.

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, and William H. Macy

Length : 117 minutes

Country: Canada, Ireland