Room

Room, based on the book by Emma Donoghue, starts on young Jack's 5th birthday. He gets a birthday cake from his mother (but no candles); a visit from his father; and a gift, albeit belatedly. This would all be perfectly normal except that all of this takes place within 'Room' - a confined space with only a single skylight for daylight and no means of escape. For the mother, Joy, was abducted as a teen and locked away for sex in the style of the dreadful real-life examples such as that perpetrated by Josef Fritzl in Austria. Jack is the (presumably) unintended result: a boy with no perception of the real world beyond his four single-sided walls and with the staunchly-held view that the things he sees on a flickering TV screen are in 'TV land' and unreal. Will Jack and Joy survive and ever see freedom again?

And that's where I'll leave this synopsis, since (if you've been lucky enough to avoid the trailer) there is a tense cat-and-mouse story to unfurl here.

This is an absorbing, although slow-moving, film that builds to some truly nail-biting moments. The screenwriter (also Donoghue) and director (Irishman Lenny "Frank" Abrahamson) are to be commended in keeping the story and drama really well-grounded and un-saccharined. Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the 'evil kidnapper', is not painted as some predictable monster: he is even portrayed to be kind and caring at some warped level. And there is no gratuitous sex: we are in effect seven years into the story and the abnormal is now completely normalised.

The film is told primarily from the viewpoint of Jack (Jacob Tremblay) but we also get under the skin of Joy (Brie Larson) and her emotions in trying to mentally deal with her ordeal. Looking at a picture of her with her school friends she bitterly comments that "Nothing happened to them - - they just got on with their lives".

The acting is superb. I made the mistake of voting for John Boyega for the BAFTA Rising Star award before seeing this film (you can cast your vote here http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/ee-rising-star-award-in-2016). Not that Boyega isn't great, but Brie Larson really REALLY delivers here. She obviously won't give a hoot if she wins the Best Actress Oscar! And for me, for this award, she shines out in what I would perhaps see as one of this year's weaker Oscar categories. Jacob Tremblay is also exceptional as Jack - and it would be nice (rather than try to compare young performances with adult ones, as per Anna Paquin) if there was a special awards category for actors and actresses under 10. If there was, then Tremblay would storm it! You seriously forget that this is a child acting a part. He is totally connected to the role and these two core performances lock in your belief in the story.

Supporting the cast are the ever reliable William H Macy as Joy's mentally tortured father, Joan Allen (Pamela Landy from the "Bourne" films) as her equally distraught mother and Sean Bridgers as the kidnapper.

At 2 hours long some of the scenes in the middle of the film made my attention waver a little. But my main criticism is in the trailer and marketing of the film. If ever there was a need for a true 'teaser trailer' this is it. I never know who is responsible for putting trailers together - whether the director has the final say or whether its some nameless marketing bods in the distribution company, but whoever it is they should be taken out and 'given a good talking to' for this travesty. It's like putting all of the twists in films like "The Crying Game", "The Sixth Sense" and "Gone Girl" in their respective trailers. I've gone so far as to create my own One Mann's Movies cut of the trailer, just for you good people, which I have included with my bob-the-movie-man.com version of this review.

A leisurely, nuanced and effecting drama, this is not for fans of "Die Hard" or "Fast and Furious" fans. But for everyone else, this should be a must see.

Please visit bob-the-movie-man.com for the graphical version of this review. Thanks.

Good film - incredible acting by the kid (and Brie Larson). Well told story, enjoyable (sometimes tense) film.

Based on a best selling novel, "Room" chronicles the story of a lady and her son held captive by a kidnapper, who actually is his biological father, in a shed comprising merely a 10 X 10 room. For the boy, the room is the only world he has known. The only medium he can see outside is the skylight in the room. The story may sound a nerdy fiction; but the film focuses much on the psychological aspects and discovers the story of desolation and motherhood which comes vividly alive on the screen. There are few scenes in which the boy and the mother have screamed to each other which could have been avoided alas they were like the scenes demanding the Oscars. Nevertheless, the film won an Oscar for the best performance by an actress. The film avoids big star cast or sets; but still the film is rich in emotions, performances, and beauty. The film just beautifully portrays the perspective of a five year old boy who doesn't know the world for real except for what his mother has told him or what he has seen in the TV screen. The emotional attachment portrayed between the two is awesome. Brie Larson's performance doesn't yet equal the winning Oscar performances from Julia Roberts or Hilary Swank, but still she appears stunning and well portrays a petrified lady held captive for six years. Few sequences are pretty familiar, but there are certain moments in the film for which you are drawn to it.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Based on the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, 'Room' is a challenging, unsettling, harrowing film, that leaves you disturbed. But that is its sheer power. The Incredible Performances only add to the film's hefty nature.

'Room' Synopsis: After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world.

'Room' is a disturbing story about bad things that happen to good people. But its also about hope & fighting back. Its shocking to see the protagonist, a child, discover the world along-with his brave mother, who survived a harrowing experience. I was engrossed & often disturbed by the narrative, especially after the son & mother escape. The series of events that follow are so gut-wrenching, I almost broke down.

'Room' is masterfully penned by Emma Donoghue herself. The Writing is consistently powerful & the dialogue are realistic to the core. Lenny Abrahamson's Direction is first-class. He has handled this dramatic, unsettling tale with complete flourish. Cinematography is perfectly claustrophobic. Editing is razor-crisp. Art Design is skilfully done.

Performance-Wise: Brie Larson & Jacob Tremblay deliver incredible performances. Brie is astounding as the tormented, yet brave protagonist, while Jacob steals the show with a flawless performance. The child does wonders & makes 'Room' unforgettable. Of the supporting cast, Joan Allen & The Always Solid William H. Macy leave a solid mark.

On the whole, 'Room' is a must watch! Its certainly unsettling, but its power is undeniable.

Driven mostly by the initially intriguing concept, this film surprised me by resolving this around this mid-point of the film. Not having read the book or really heard anything specific about the film, it did catch me off guard in a small way, since I had come into the film with the specifics of the situation in mind. The first half of the film does make it more than this though, because I was drawn into a relationship which was emotionally raw and compelling. The film uses the limits of the room really well, focusing on the mother/son relationship and making us care about it while also being horrified by the specifics.

The second half of the film manages to maintain that engagement, while flipping the characters in such a way that made the drama work in a much different way, and cast a different light on the first half of the film. It is tough in terms of subject matter, but at the same time it is easy to watch because of how well the film draws you into caring about the lead two characters. A big part of this is how well both Larson and Tremblay delivery; they are organic and natural performances, and are supported equally well by the likes of Allen and Macey. The writing and the performances make it, and in the end the film is a lot of heart and works as a result of this.