Review: ‘Room’ begins where most stories about captivity end (Includes first-hand account)

A large proportion of Lifetime TV movies focus on the survivors of horrific crimes, creating melodramatic depictions of the offense and its consequences. As terrible as these incidents are, the formula used to portray their stories is predictable and calculating to affect viewers’ emotions in certain ways at specific parts of the narrative. But that doesn’t mean these tales are immune to ingenuity; it just hasn’t been applied as often. Room approaches a story that has become far too common in the news from a fresh perspective that truly captures the intense effects of being held against one’s will.

Joy’s (Brie Larson) five-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) has never left the confines of the self-contained room in which they’re kept captive by a nameless man they call Old Nick (Sean Bridgers). He provides them with minimal provisions such as food and power, while clothes and other items are considered gifts in exchange for her obedience. Joy tries to raise Jack the best she can under the circumstances, but the nightly visits and compact living quarters are growing insufferable… as is Jack’s curiosity and his ability to hide in the wardrobe when Old Nick invades their space. However life outside of the room may prove even more difficult as time didn’t stop in Joy’s absence and nothing is as she remembers it.

Living inside the room is a constant rollercoaster of emotions. Both Joy and Jack are ticking time bombs ready to go off at the slightest infraction. On the other hand, they are all the other has and they cling to each other with desperation and affection. In spite of Jack’s origin, Joy protects him from Old Nick and the reality of their imprisonment by striving to create a happy home for him in which he plays, learns and has no perception of a world beyond their four walls. But necessity forces her to break the illusion and compel Jack to understand the only home he’s ever known is a bad place. All of their interactions are both heartwarming and heartbreaking in the context of their confinement. Director Lenny Abrahamson seems to enjoy self-imposed restrictions on his films and actors, causing everyone to thrive within the prescribed limits.

The second half of the film portrays their experiences outside of the room, which is very different for each of them. Joy is excited to return to the life from which she was so abruptly taken; reunited with her parents (Joan Allen and William H. Macy), speaking to more than just two people and able to breathe fresh air. Jack, on the other hand, is overwhelmed by all these fresh encounters; he yearns for the familiarity of his former prison and cleaves even more tightly to his mother amongst the overpowering strangeness. However as Jack adapts, Joy is slowly crushed by the countless changes that occurred in her absence. This extended depiction of their post-incarceration is fascinating and a portrayal rarely included in other similar narratives.

The bond depicted by Larson and Tremblay is extraordinarily genuine. Joy and Jack’s love for each other is seemingly infinite, the depth of which also enhances their other emotions. Since his life is mostly shielded from the worst aspects of his reality, Tremblay is only required to be a child that feels intensely. His character faces extreme happiness, fear and anger at various points in the script, and Tremblay represents every moment flawlessly. Joy’s emotions are much more complex and equally powerful as she also experiences paralyzing lows. Larson is tasked with the demanding role of constantly displaying dual emotions since regardless of her outward mood, she is always distressed by their captivity. Bridgers is once again an abusive patriarch in a film and he makes an impression even though he’s rarely on screen.

The film was the winner of the 2015 Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay and Sean Bridgers

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Mistress America’ wears its crown proudly (Includes first-hand account)

    Divorce is a recurring subject in fiction. Even though it’s no longer true that 50 per cent of marriages fail, it was at some point. However re-marriage and the blending of families is portrayed less often, unless in the form of a family-friendly comedy. Being an adult suddenly connected to another adult because of a choice made by your parents is a strange proposition; though it could also be an exciting opportunity to bond with someone who you otherwise would never have met. Both are true in Mistress America, which features a whirlwind sisterhood.

  • Review: ‘I, Tonya’ is a gritty story that no one could’ve expected (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s not often a scandal becomes engrained in pop culture or someone’s name becomes a verb. Conversely, these situations are almost always more complex than anyone realized and the “truth” is rarely an absolute. The curiosity of the public lends the central figures their 15-minutes of fame before they’re replaced by the next sensational news headline, but that doesn’t always mean they’re forgotten or that their stories are complete. Figure skating champion Tonya Harding’s legacy went from the first woman to complete a triple axel in competition to the woman who tried to handicap her biggest competitor — I, Tonya tells her tale.

  • Review: ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ gives the gift of laughter (Includes first-hand account)

    Infantile men have often been a source of comedy as their inability to grow up and assume responsibility for their lives provides a wealth of opportunity to make fun of them. Calling it “Peter Pan syndrome” makes it sound a little more whimsical, but the results are the same. In the case of the movies, adult men get into an array of outrageous situations before finally realizing their adolescent behaviour is no longer acceptable. Thus we have the premise of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.