REVIEW: Room

Courtesy of A24

(Now playing in limited release and expanding in the coming weeks.)

Considering its bleak subject matter, Room (which Emma Donoghue adapted from her own best-selling novel) is surprisingly hopeful. It’s one of those movies I’m hesitant to talk about too much, as viewers should go in knowing the bare minimum to fully experience the story’s emotional power, but I have to get into semi-spoilery territory to explain why I think it’s one of the year’s best.

The film opens by introducing viewers to Jack (Jacob Tremblay, in an astonishing performance that deserves to make him one of the youngest Best Actor nominees in Oscar history), a five-year-old who has spent his entire life in a cramped, poorly lit space he knows only as “Room.” To him, that’s the entire world and everything outside of it is outer space. That’s because his Ma (Brie Larson, practically guaranteed a Best Actress nomination) is committed to making sure that he is unaware of the reality of their situation, even as she strives to keep him as healthy and educated as possible.

However, Jack’s increasing maturity and curiosity provide an opportunity for a new life that Ma has been unwilling to consider until now. With their situation at breaking point, she devises a risky plan that could allow Jack to experience the real world for the first time.

As the title indicates, much of Room plays out in a single location. In the wrong hands, the movie could’ve gotten visually stale really fast. But director Lenny Abrahamson makes plenty of compelling choices that propel the narrative and – with some help from Donoghue’s screenplay – somehow makes it gripping, claustrophobic, heartwarming and (believe it or not) funny in equal measure.

For instance, even though it’s a tiny space, Jack and Ma still designate sections as the living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, and the movie uses cinematic language to treat each as a separate location. The pair maintains a daily routine, including specific meal times, exercise and school, which allows Abrahamson to convey the passage of time with montages. The narrative’s progression allows him greater visual creativity in the film’s second half, but I won’t get into that here.

The movie’s powerful central performances are what elevate it to an entirely different level. The story could’ve easily become misery porn – let’s wallow in how terrible these characters’ lives are! – but Larson (proving here why she’s one of my favorite actresses) and Tremblay’s portrayals of Ma and Jack allow hope and love to remain the story’s dominant emotions. I’m not going to lie, I cried a lot during Room. But I was surprised to find myself shedding more happy tears than the sad variety.

Room isn’t always an easy watch (if you’re not spoiler-averse, a quick Wikipedia search will tell you why), but it is a rewarding one. I’ve got a feeling you’ll be hearing a lot about this one during awards season, so check it out soon. I absolutely loved it.

Room is rated R for language.

Grade: A-