Room movie review

BEST NEW FEATURE

dir. by Lenny Abrahamson
Deserving of all the critical acclaim it's gotten, Room contains so many fascinating and important topics within its intense two hours that it's undoubtedly one of the best films of the year.


A woman (Brie Larson) has been locked in a small room for a very long time alongside a child, Jack (Jacob Tremblay). Room is a difficult film to review in depth, because its twists are so intense and hard-hitting that it's better to go in blind. This is a brilliant movie, with fantastic tension and plenty of depth, and you really ought to watch it. Larson gives an incredible performance, and Tremblay's is strong as well. If you wish to watch unspoiled, then stop reading now and just look at the score.

10/10

Yeah.

If you're still here, let's continue.

Spoilers, of course.

The woman, Joy, had been in the room for seven years, and Jack has lived in the room his entire life. Jack has grown up only knowing the room, and his worldview is built around it. Joy, meanwhile, has had enough. She begins planning escape, but when she and Jack achieve it, their newfound freedom doesn't bring an end to their problems. Room is split into two halves. One takes place inside the room, while the other takes place after Joy and Jack have escaped. The former is host to the film's most harrowing scenes, such as when Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the man who locked Joy in the room, comes by to deliver food and what the two captives have called the "Sunday gift." This man kidnapped Joy, and the depravity that it would take to hold a woman captive for seven years and still feel a sense of entitlement after abusing her and raping her comes across very clearly every time he's on screen. This is the most despicable character I've seen in a film since Whiplash.

Once we get out, however, the real interesting stuff comes in. The effects of the room which had been built up inside, such as Jack's warped idea of what the world is and Joy's utter trauma and lack of preparedness for raising a child, are forced to deal with the real world. Jack is forced to understand a world which until a few days ago was completely unknown to him. Meanwhile, Joy's clearly under a lot of stress in trying to bring Jack into this new world, and it's leading to a lot of slip ups. In one particular scene, it overcomes her, and it's one of the most powerful in the film. I'm not going to go into more detail, but those who've watched know what I'm talking about. Even when Joy and Jack are in freedom, they've still got a long way to go, and the attention that their plight received doesn't help matters at all. Growing up in isolation, the stresses of parenthood, and intense trauma are only a few of the topics which Room dives into.

This film covers so much, and goes into such dark territory, that it earns the right to occasionally slip into a lighter tone on occasion. The film is usually a bit poorer for it, but particularly near the end it's especially satisfying. It would, perhaps, be a little better without the cloying pianos, but having these spots of brightness allows for a respite from the tension of the rest of the film. An early scene seems like a generic family drama at first glance, with the aforementioned pianos and a fluffy-seeming scene of mother-son bonding. This, however, serves as our introduction to the room. Everything seems familiar until we realize how confined and run-down the space is, and once Joy and Jack start talking about the scarcity of their resources, it's apparent that something's wrong. Even at the end, it's clear that these two are far from the end of their struggle, and the film could have gone on for another half hour at least and still had plenty to cover. Somehow, though, the film still leaves on a positive, optimistic note. The entire world is out there for these two now, and things can only go up for them.

Perhaps the cinematography isn't particularly inspiring, and maybe it's a little syrupy in some of its brighter moments, but Room is a film of great ambition and great power. It covers an extensive number of themes, and contains many of the best twists in any film this year. It's tense and complex, and contains some utterly brilliant performances and some truly intense moments. In the end, it's breathtaking. What an incredible film this is.

Support Thrond Media on Patreon!