Tis the season! Yes, the holidays are coming up but along with that, this is the time of year when so many award contending films make their box office debut. The first film I decided to see on what will be one of many trips to a Tuesday night movie (cheap night!) was Room, it is now getting Golden Globe Award nominations and is receiving significant Oscar buzz as well.
Going into the film I did not know what to expect, but I was certainly not disappointed. I found myself immersed in the emotional story of a young boy discovering the world for the very first time and his mother who risked everything to give him that chance.
Room tells the story of a young woman (Brie Larson) who is abducted, held captive and abused in a small shed for seven years. While living in the shed she gives birth to a son, Jack. The film is told through the eyes of five year old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) which makes for an interesting and captivating narrative as his mother has created an entire universe for Jack within Room. Since this is all he’s known, he believes that what they have in Room is all that exists, until they make their escape.
The film is portrayed in what feels like two parts; Jack and Ma’s life within Room and how they live their day to day in the only place Jack has ever known, and then how their lives develop and change once they reenter and for Jack, discover the outside world. Both lead actors give incredible performances and truly make you care for them and the challenges they face.
While I will warn you to make sure you have tissues handy, Room is not a film that should be missed. It tells an amazing story of a young boy trying to understand a new world, while also celebrating the extraordinary bond between a mother and her child.
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Lindsay