Movie Review – Room

This is the highest rating I have ever given a movie on Film Obsession and is by far one of the best movies I have ever seen on my 22 years of living on this Earth. Book-to-film adaptions are always tricky and held under a microscope by viewers for proof of inaccuracies, of which in this film, there were none.
“Room” by Emma Donoghue is the 2010 New York Times Bestselling novel and winner of numerous awards. I would argue that the film should be held as a standard for any and all adaptions, because this is how you bring a book to life. Everything from the film score to the immensely satisfying performances have cemented this as an early Oscar contender in my book.
Told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack (played by Jacob Tremblay), we follow his day-to-day life living in Room with Ma (Brie Larson). Jack has lived nowhere else but Room, so the way in which he sees his tiny world is simply fascinating. Ma and Jack’s relationship is so pure and honest that I was on the verge of tears anytime either of them spoke. Donoghue (who also wrote the screenplay) is one of the most talented writers out there, providing readers and viewers with a unique look through the eyes of a child; she nails everything from dialogue to showing alternative struggles on Ma’s part, effortlessly. So many intricate one-liners that can bring any adult back into seeing the world through young eyes.
Although beautiful and moving, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Ma and Jack are not in Room by choice, as I’m sure you have guessed. When their captor Old Nick enters Room, Jack is hiding in a closet. When Ma is frustrated by the lack of understanding what is outside of the four walls that surround them, you can’t help but empathize with 24-year-old Ma, who was kidnapped when she was 17. Her need for her son to comprehend that Room is not a happy place, that there is so much more, but also wanting Jack to be happy where he is, is played out beautifully by Larson.
Tremblay, who is really seven years old, has already given the performance of a lifetime. His compression of such a child-like role in a very adult environment is truly one for the ages. I don’t wish to give away the ending, the sequence of events do not take place over a long period of time and could easily have been told to you in a shorter amount of time, but as I keep coming back to it, it’s the quality and honesty within the performances that will have your eyes glued to the screen and your tears flowing freely.