OCTOBER 27, 2015
No one saw “Room” coming.
At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, all the talk was about the Oscar bait, films that use the festival to launch their award campaigns. So very few people paid much attention to this little Irish-funded indie starring Brie Larson, a highly-regarded actress on the rise but not yet a bona fide movie star.
Then the festival’s most coveted award, the People’s Choice, was announced, and the film that left all the Oscar bait in the dust was “Room.”
That’s nice, you may think, that it won this festival award. But consider some of this award’s fellow winners in recent years: “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “The King’s Speech” (2010), “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “American Beauty” (1999) and “Chariots of Fire” (1981). What do they have in common? They all won the Oscar for Best Picture. And eight other recent People’s Choice winners went on to nab Best Picture nominations, including “The Imitation Game” just last year. This is the company that “Room” now joins.
A number of critics have noted in their reviews that they regretted having read Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel so they knew what was coming in the film, so for those (I am one) who have not read the book, I will endeavor to be careful not to reveal spoilers.
Seven years ago, 17 year-old Joy (Larson) was abducted by a psychopath only known as “Old Nick” (Sean Bridgers) and has been held captive in a locked shed as a sex slave until then. Two years in, Joy bore a son, and the film begins as that boy Jack (Jacob Tremblay) is celebrating his fifth birthday.
What follows is not a distateful claustrophobic ordeal suggested by the film’s premise but is instead an upbeat, inspiring demonstration of a mother’s love under even the most trying circumstances. Joy has made Room (their common, almost affectionate name for their confines) into a wonderland of imagination, as Jack gives Room’s inanimate objects — a sink, a lamp, a wardrobe — a character all their own. And the interaction when Mom plays with her son is joyous at the same time it is heartbreaking.
It is only when Old Nick arrives for his nightly sex with Joy, forcing Jack to cower in the wardrobe, that any darkness enters into the boy’s life. One night, when Old Nick interacts with Jack for the first time, Joy goes into mama gizzly protective mode, and Nick slaps the young mother down in front of her son. At that moment, Joy realizes that, for her son’s safety, she has to find some way to get Jack out of this securely-locked Room. But how?
Irish author Emma Donoghue, who wrote the widely-read best-seller, has also adapted the screenplay, and it’s a real adaptation. From all reports, she eliminated sections from the novel that could only work on the page and effectively replaced them with visually-placed plot points. Its a terrific adaptation. She has handed director Lenny Abrahamson a huge challenge in making the Room portion involving without seeming too claustrophobic. Abrahamson’s greatest achievement, however, is the performances he gets out of his cast.
Brie Larson has just been waiting for the role that would put her over the top. A successful teen actress, known primarily for her part in the Showtime series “United States of Tara,” Larson made a huge splash in the indie hit “Short Term 12” in 2013, winning numerous Best Actress awards at festivals throughout the year. With “Room,” she has arrived. While in Room with her son, Larson subtly communicates the joys and frustration of manufacturing a bright world for her adored Jack, and once she sees the outside world, she shows her relief, then disappointment, at what she faces after she becomes free. It’s a hugely complex role, and Larson nails it. We will be talking about Brie Larson for many months to come.
While Larson’s talent was well-known, the film’s big surprise is the accomplished performance of 9 year-old Jacob Tremblay as Jack. Tremblay has to carry much of the film by himself, and he pulls it off masterfully. This is not some cute kid actor who has to cry on cue. He has to bond with Larson in the Room scenes, which is extremely believable — you are sold that this really is a mother and son. But it is in the film’s second half that Tremblay really shines. He must convince us that Jack has never seen the sky (except through Room’s skylight) or a real tree (he’s only seen one on TV). In one key scene, Tremblay (who has doubtless negotiated stairs all his life) must make us believe that Jack has never seen stairs and has no idea what to do. And he does it. Make no mistake, Tremblay is in the thick of it with Michael Keaton, Mark Rylance and Mark Ruffalo for a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. And it would be so deserved if he gets it.
A word too about a terrific performance by Joan Allen as Joy’s mom. She expertly expresses her happiness at the return of her long-lost daughter, as well as frustrating dismay about her daughter’s reaction to her freedom. She has a dilly of an argument scene with Larson, which could be enough to give this distinguished actress her fourth Oscar nomination.
A number of people have told me that they’re hesitant about seeing “Room” because of the sordid backstory or the claustrophobic nature of the setting. Please don’t be. First of all, the backstory is quickly talked about but never seen. And it’s not a spoiler because it is revealed in the trailer, but only the first half of the film is in Room; the film’s second half is in the outside world. Jack’s story, in particular, is so life-affirming and will cheer even the most apprehensive moviegoer. But it’s not all lollipops and roses. Sometimes, as Joy finds, to her surprise, that freedom in the outside world can sometimes be as confining as Room. And right there is the complexity of “Room.”
GRADE: A-
