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.

*Insert all 9 & 10 reviews here* I was in awe during the entire film. Lenny Abrahamson & the writing team made sure there was not one dull moment. The addition of "insignificant" characters and plot twists are later realized to be so significant and influential in keeping the film alive throughout its duration. It was the little things that made this story one of the best I've seen in a long time. I experienced an entire palette of emotions all at once and was left in a deep level of curiosity and reflection. Very few films have the power to continue to influence its audience after the credits. Room is endless in the most beautiful way.

But that title was already taken. Also Room is pretty accurate and hits "home" (no pun intended). But while I had no idea what I would get with this (apart from the title and the lead actress I didn't know one piece of information), most will go into this knowing what it's about. The general idea is explained fairly quickly, though the why of the closed space or rather location and the reason for staying might take a while to sink in.

If you already know some of the whys because of the trailer or reading the story, don't be afraid though. The movie moves forward and it does not stay stagnant at all. That is true regarding the story, but the characters have some other issues to solve. Talking about solving, you won't get all the answers for this, but this is a pretty good and strong depiction psychologically speaking of what persons go through, without getting into their heads. Great acting and drama make this a great movie ... if you like the genre that is of course.

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.

Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live in a small room in a shed without windows and with only a skylight on the roof. When Joy has encounters with a man, Jack locks himself in a closet. When Jack is five years old, Joy tells him that she lived with her parents in a comfortable house and a man called Old Nick lured and kidnapped her seven years ago. Joy plots a scheme to let Jack flee from the room and call the police. When they are rescued, they move to the house of Joy's mother and they have to begin the adaptation to the routine of a normal life. But is it not easy.

"Room" is a sensitive and delicate film with a dramatic and realistic story of woman and child abuse and the effects in the aftermath. The screenplay is very well written increasing tension without the use of cheap means such as graphic violence, sex and gore but only subtle dialogues. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay have awesome performances, showing also fantastic chemistry, and with magnificent supporting cast including names such as Joan Allen and William H. Macy. In the end, "Room" is an unforgettable and unique film that touches the viewer's heart. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Quarto de Jack" ("The Room of Jack")