[yasr_overall_rating]
One of the most horrific experiences a human can force on another is being held captive and, more often than not, we are fascinated to learn what could drive someone to do that. But Room, the new film from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, focuses on the victims. Overflowing with emotional power from Brie Larson and the nine-year-old Jacob Tremblay, the film is a singular experience that shows how life after a traumatic experience can be as difficult as the experience itself.
Room starts with Joy Newsome (Larson) and Jack (Tremblay) already living in a shack for seven years. Jack's father is Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the man who captured Joy as a teenager. Jack is turning five, and Joy is now convinced that they can finally escape.
Surprisingly, the escape isn't what Room is actually about since it happens at the mid-point of the film. After they escape Old Nick's clutches, Abrahamson and writer/novelist Emma Donoghue show Joy and Jack's struggle to get acclimated to the real world. For Joy, it's a realization that her parents and the world around her have changed in seven years, while also dealing with the hounding media. For Jack, the struggle is realizing that Room, as he called it, wasn't the only space in the universe.
Room is an equal opportunity film for its two leads. Larson's clearly well-researched performance as Joy during the first half is breathtaking – in that I actually did not want to breathe during her excellent speech about how the world works, because I might miss something. Her weary, serious and incredibly realistic portrayal proves that Larson has quietly become one of today's best actresses. Her role in Room feels like the obvious follow-up to Short Term 12, another movie in which her character had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Larson has shown time and again that she can carry that weight.
While the entire film is told from Jack's perspective, this becomes more obvious in the second half. Tremblay may be young, but he can easily convey the growth of the character as he grows more used to the world around him. Abrahamson may have explained to Tremblay exactly how he wanted scenes to be played, but it never feels like he's just imitating what a director said. He shows unbelievable maturity. Tremblay definitely understands everything going on around him.
Joan Allen, who plays Joy's mother, is also fantastic. She gives Joy and Jack stability when no one else will and provides some of the film's most touching moments. William H. Macy pops in for just a couple of scenes as Joy's father, but at least he makes the most of his memorable scene.
Of course, the film is at its best during that first half, when Abrahamson shows off how brilliant a movie can be in tight spaces. It is when the film is at its most unique. Still, Donaghue, who wrote the novel the film is based on, and Abrahamson make sure that the film doesn't shift tones because life outside of Room still isn't perfect.
If Room isn't about the act of escape, it's about how a horrific event is not over until its victims can finally move on from it. Not that it's any easier for an adult to do that, but Room illustrates how difficult it is for a child. With two stunning performances, Room proves that victims deserve to have their stories told.