Film review – Room
I’ve chose to write my film review on a film I have recently watched called Room: an emotional, fascinating and unforgettably harrowing story that is irresistible to watch and has you hooked from start to finish. Both highly suspenseful and deeply emotional, Room is a unique and touching exploration of the boundless love between a mother and her child.
The film tells a story about a young woman named Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) who are forced to live in a squalid shed after Joy was abducted 7 years prior by a man they call “Old Nick”, Jacks biological farther. They share a single bed, toilet, bathtub, television, and rudimentary kitchen; the only window is a skylight and the door is locked with a code at all times. Their captivator routinely rapes Joy while Jack sleeps in the closest and only provides minimal living material. Despite this, Joy tries to stay optimistic for her son but suffers from malnutrition and depression. She allows Jack to believe that only Room and its contents are real, and that the rest of the world exists only on television. After Joy receives news from Old Nick that he has lost his job and may not be able to afford their supplies in the future, Joy makes a plan to trick him so they can escape. She wraps Jack in a carpet and has him play dead in the hope that Old Nick will remove him from Room. Falling for the ruse, Old Nick places Jack in the back of his pickup truck and drives him somewhere to be dumped. Although stunned by his first exposure to the outside world, Jack jumps from the truck and attracts the attention of someone nearby. The police are called and save Joy and her son. The audiences is utterly enticed through the rest of the film, struggling to imagine what it must be like for young jack who trying to get used to living in a world that he never knew existed.
Despite parallels with appalling real life news stories, Room is neither a horror movie nor film about crime or captivity. Instead, it explores how the human spirit may surpass physical boundaries and the disparity between internal and external freedom. In the early stages of the film, the gentle domesticity of Joy and her son’s situation is emphasized rather than daunting claustrophobia. This is due to the superbly empathetic music written by Stephen Rennicks that is played during these scenes. This atmosphere juxtaposes what the audience would expect, which is a sense of fear and disquiet, and is an effective way of intriguing us to watch more.
During the later half of the film, the audience attaches an emotional hook to both characters as we watch the struggles of Jack and his “Ma” as they adjust to the real world. Moreover, I feel that the fact that the film is told through the eyes of a child gives it a sense of innocence. This however contrasts the film as it is very far from innocent, exploring explicitly dark features such as rape, suicide, mental health, captivity/abduction and many more. This creates a fine balance and makes the film even more interesting.
This film hinges on the strength of Larson and Tremblay's performances, and neither disappoint. Brie Larson and seven-year-old Jacob Tremblay do an amazing job of telling this traumatic and heart wrenching story. I think that watching it from the child’s perspective has a great effect on the audiences as it brings so much more emotion and understanding to the film and the characters themselves.
Overall, I feel Room is a deeply moving film, exploring the inexplicable, tender, unbreakable bond between parent and child. Whether the film is having you cry into a pillow or feeding you hope and happiness, room is compelling to unparalleled degrees.
Comments