The tale of survival is a common one in the world of film. These stories present harrowing experiences that an individual or group must overcome before finally seeking rescue by the end. What these films rarely discuss, though, is the aftermath of the experience: How does someone go back to their normal life after such an ordeal? Is it even possible to transform back into the person that you were before?

Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, Room touches upon these questions and more. Though it is a mostly audience-accessible look at a devastating situation, it also does not shy away from the realities of just how something so drastic can change our reality.

A Child’s Perspective

A mother named Joy (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live intimately in a small room that contains only the most necessary amenities: a refrigerator, stove, bathtub, toilet, bed, closet, heater, a few books, and a television. We don’t yet know why the two are there, but we do know that they are unable to leave. Other than the periodic visit from a man that they call Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the two are mostly on their own.

When I first heard of the story of Room, a quote from the movie The Truman Show was the first thing that I thought of, in which the character Cristof says the following: “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.” Though different in terms of tone and subject, Room very much embodies this quote. From the start, the mother and son are trapped in a man’s shed with no means of escape (the only exit out of the windowless room is by a combination code), but it is only Joy who is aware. Jack was born here, and has never known anything else. So, rather than burden him with the direness of their situation, Joy does the only thing she can to keep him safe: she presents Room as reality. Not knowing any different, Jack accepts it.

Director Lenny Abrahamson shows Room through Jack’s perspective, and it is far from the cramped and claustrophobic space that it should appear. Through Jack’s eyes, Room is a boundless, happy place, where you can live comfortably with your mother by your side. Every morning, he greets his favorite objects, and throughout the day is entertained by television programs and by stories told to him by his mother. Soon after his fifth birthday, though, Joy realizes that it is finally time to tell Jack the truth about the world.

Freed, but still trapped

The poster of Room (seen below) shows Joy and Jack out of Room and free in the world. But, when looking closely, the sky above them still appears to be an enclosed space. Although I didn’t realize it at first, such an image is very symbolic to a central theme of the film. When Joy and Jack are finally freed from Old Nick’s shed, they still do not quite greet the world as they should. Joy hesitantly steps into a surreal reality, where she has to face the fact that seven years of her life have been taken from her.

And Jack, who has never known the outside world, has to become accustomed to all of it at once. The two return to Joy’s parents’ house (where her room is still dressed up as that of a teenage girl), and, due to a desire to avoid a hoarding media, decide to spend their time indoors. For a time, it appears that they never really left Room at all; they have just replaced it with something else.

Lenny Abrahamson has a knack for setting moods and portraying emotion through his camera. Whereas earlier he used it to portray Room as a much larger place, here he shows the contrasting perspectives of both Jack and Joy. Jack is at first frightened of the wider world, especially when he first escapes and he sees the world as an excessively bright and noisy place, which is presented with uncomfortable camera angles along with intensely lit shots. Through the help of his grandmother (played by the wonderful Joan Allen), Jack comes to a realization of just how many more possibilities the world now presents. Little by little, he comes to accept this new world as reality.

Though Joy was not always the best mother even within Room (how would you react if your whole life took place inside a shed), she seems to have even more difficulty adjusting to life on the outside, even to the point that it is detrimental to her health. Room doesn’t shy away too much from her overall bleakness after she leaves Room, though I have heard that the novel is far more disturbing. Perhaps cutting some of this out was a way to make the film more accessible to a wider audience. Thankfully, it does not detract from its overall portrayal of depression, which still feels mostly authentic.

Oscars on the way?

Even before I saw Room, I got the impression that it was a very awards-friendly film. It has all the elements of a movie that the Academy loves, and perhaps nowhere is that more clear than in the performances. Brie Larson movingly portrays Joy as a broken-down mother who tries to be happy for the sake of her son, though she sometimes loses all control once the reality of her situation sets in. It’s a realistic performance, which is at times rough to watch due to the overwhelming emotional state of her character. Though not new to the industry, it will more than likely gain Larson her first Oscar nomination (and maybe even a win).

Even more surprising than Larson, though, is Jacob Tremblay‘s performance as Jack. A beacon of wide-eyed wonder, Jack is among the most interesting young characters to come to film this year, and Tremblay portrays him with a solid understanding of the character. He seems to understand the naivety of Jack, and how he comes to terms with reality by the end. At only nine years old, Tremblay likely has a successful career ahead of him, as long as he doesn’t get caught up in that child actor stardom that seems to prevent some of them from progressing into more adult roles.

Conclusion

Besides a somewhat toned-down approach to the dark material from which it is based, Room is a moving, emotionally satisfying film. Grounded by its incredible performances and with some expert direction from Lenny Abrahamson, it is among the finer films that I have seen this year.

What did you think of Room? Let us know your thoughts!

(source: A24)