Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, who also wrote the screenplay, Room tells the sensational story of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a larger than life five-year old who is looked after by his caring and devoted mother, Ma (Brie Larson). Much like any decent mother, she dedicates herself to keeping her son happy, fed, clothed, and safe from harm’s way. She nurtures him with warmth and love but also connects with him intimately by playing games and telling stories at bedtime. Their life in Room is anything bur ordinary. If anything, it’s extraordinary that they didn’t go completely mad. They made do with what they had and did all they could to survive. They weren’t conquered by their four walls.
The mother and son are imprisoned in a windowless 10-by-10 foot space which they later find out to be a shed in Old Nick’s (Sean Bridgers) backyard. Ma has made their life into a game and has metaphorically named their home of seven years, ‘Room’. She has created a whole world, a universe for Jack within the confinement of four walls. Even in this humiliating environment, Jack is able to live a fulfilling life. But as Jack’s childish curiosities about the world increase, the relationship between mother and child is tested, and Ma’s resilience reaches its climax. They enact a daring plan to escape, ultimately ending with them staring at what they both fear and embrace the most: the world outside.
Room has to be one of the most emotional movies I have seen in my living memory. It’s all about the trials and tribulations that occur within a family home. The arguments, the “I hate you and I will never speak to you ever again” moments that seem to linger are patched up again the next day. Your parents judging you and saying what you should and should not do. You hate them in the moment but really, you know they have your best interests at heart, even if they don’t show that in the most appealing way, then you forgive them because they’re your family.
Both Ma and Jack leave Room, but Jack adapts to the change better than Ma. She’s mentally ill with PTSD and I believe she secretly misses Room, and the sudden change of order disrupted her status quo. She was a captive, but she had a routine. Now she has help from people around her–her family. This positive reception was a shock to the system and now she has to adapt to a new routine. They’re her family but they may as well have been strangers. The world has changed in seven years, and so has the family unit that she once lived among. Jack embraced the world with open arms since he was born in Room, and kids love new things and new places. He loves the smells, the sites, and is very excitable as children should be. Everything is an adventure for Jack.
Brie Larson has found her niche and her performance as Ma was powerful, exciting, gritty, and you really saw her development as a character. Her performance is worthy of the acting nominations she picked up from BAFTA and the Academy. I truly hope she wins because she really deserves it, as you could see she put her heart and soul into her portrayal of Ma. Jabob Tremblay, as Jack, was also good. The ten-year old’s acting career is only just beginning in what I hope to be fruitful and a prosperous one. This film moved me a bit due to the great acting performance from Larson, and also due to the deeply emotional musical score from Stephen Rennicks (Frank); as well as the fantastic screenplay from the author, Emma Donoghue, and the superb direction from Irish talent, Lenny Abrahamson. I leave you with this quote from the film to remind you how Jack moved past his confinement to realize how vast the world is: