Movie with Abe: Room

Room
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
Released October 16, 2015

A film’s primary task is to tell a story, but there is also the opportunity to tell that story in a creative way. How a character perceives the world is central to how they experience its events, and can greatly shape the way that those events are presented. “Room” is told from the perspective of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a five-year-old boy who has never lived or been outside the confines of the room in which he was born. Seeing the title space and the world through Jack’s eyes is a moving, fascinating experience.

Jack introduces his life by greeting the things within Room, such as a bathtub, a sink, a bed, a closet, and the skylight that serves as the only portal to the outside world. Jack watches TV on a regular basis, but his mother Mia (Brie Larson) has taught him to believe that TV is actually captured from other planets, and they are all that exist. The regular nightly arrival of the unfriendly Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) through a locked door with a code serves as the only hint that something more might exist. Mia has raised her son under impossible circumstances and made careful choices about how to educate him about his circumstances.

“Room” provides an astonishing look at one child’s worldview, something that is transformed considerably when Jack and Mia make their daring escape and are reintroduced to life outside Room. The time spent in Room and the time spent readjusting to the world Jack never knew existed are equally compelling, full of so much light, energy, and extraordinary simplicity, especially as seen through a five-year-old’s eyes. This film, adapted from a novel of the same name, is extremely captivating from start to finish, constantly maintaining a suitable pace fitting for the progression of its events.

The performances in “Room” are simply incredible, and it won’t be a surprise if they end up being serious Oscar contenders when awards season kicks into high gear. Larson, who has starred in a few major films and impressed already, is tremendous as Mia, who gives so much of herself to make Jack’s life a pleasant one, and watching her come to the brink of insanity and losing her composure is marvelously watchable. Tremblay is a true revelation, delivering an incredibly mature performance that makes Jack an unforgettable protagonist in this powerful, memorable film.

B+