Andrew Robinson
No spoilers will be present in this article. The provided YouTube clip has a minor spoiler, but does not give away much at all, in my opinion.
Not to be confused with The Room, the horrible 2003 cult classic directed by Tommy Wiseau, Room centers around a young woman (Brie Larson), who is forced to raise her 5-year-old child (Jacob Tremblay) within the confines of a small shed. After being kidnapped seven years prior, a character we largely know as Ma (Larson) is held captive in said shed, eventually birthing Jack (Tremblay), who is raised completely and utterly within the confines of Room.
One would suspect that a film featuring such a plot would be a hard one to watch and, at times, Room is. Something, however, makes it an incredible Oscar-winning film. Here, I will provide the reasons why Room is one of the best movies of the decade.
Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay
Larson and the then-nine-year-old Tremblay are both magnificent. In fact, Larson even won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role as a result of playing Ma, an award that is much deserved. Larson’s ability to shift from extreme dread to hatred to exhibiting absolute love for Jack is simply incredible to watch. She is tasked with the unenviable task of having to convince Jack that life is still good and raise him in Room, despite being held captive (and, as the movie hints at but never explicitly shows, sexually abused by her captor). In this regard, Ma acts much like Guido (Roberto Benigni) in Life Is Beautiful; both heartbreakingly attempt to convince their young sons that life is good, despite being in horrible predicaments. Larson is absolutely captivating.
Now, for Tremblay. I have covered his brief career in detail before, so I won’t go super in-depth here (if you want more analysis of Tremblay, I recommend giving that article a read. Trailers are included!). Long story short, Tremblay is my second-favorite actor (just behind Edward Norton), despite only being eleven years old. In Room, Tremblay gives the best child performance I have ever witnessed, slightly more impressive than other incredible child actor performances, including Linda Blair in The Exorcist, Tom Holland in The Impossible, Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild, Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things, and Noah Schnapp, also in Stranger Things. At just nine years old at the time of Room’s release, Tremblay steals the show. He is able to portray a wide range of emotions in an extremely convincing manner, despite being very, very young (remember, even though he was nine at the time of the film’s release, he was likely eight, or even seven, during much of the filming of the movie). At one point, when watching a small television that is in Room, he continually asks Ma if the pictures on the screen are “real,” including squirrels, other animals, and animated figures. This scene shows just how different – how devoid of life – Jack and Ma’s life really is, and Tremblay portrays the wide-eyed innocence of a young child who has never seen anything outside of Room in an extremely convincing, heartrending manner. Throughout the entirety of the film, Tremblay is electric, forcing the viewer to continue to watch him, despite whatever else might be going on. Furthermore, the film is largely told through Jack’s perspective, and voiceovers are utilized, meaning that, in addition to acting on-screen, Tremblay is tasked with providing this narration at numerous points throughout the film, which is not an easy thing to do. Put simply, I will now watch anything that Tremblay is in after being blown away by his performance in Room, and him not getting an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role still angers me to this day.
Larson and Tremblay are the only two main characters in the film, and are thus tasked with carrying the film largely on their own. If you want a quick snapshot of their incredible abilities, check out this 3-minute YouTube clip. (Technically, there is a minor spoiler in the scene, but I actually prefer this scene to the trailer in regards to avoiding spoilers, as the trailer gives away a bit too much for my liking). This scene encapsulates Larson and Tremblay’s acting prowess, and I highly, highly recommend checking it out; it will almost certainly result in you feeling the need to watch the movie.
The Story, and the Prevalence of Absolute Love
Room is based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The story is one that is fairly original, especially given the current state of our entertainment, with sequels, prequels, and remakes dominating Hollywood. From the very first scene, the viewer is ripped away from his/her life, and whisked into the lives of Ma and Jack; it is that captivating. The story of a mother being forced to raise her son in a tiny shed is both heartbreaking and uplifting, as Ma and Jack’s extreme love for each other is shown in detail as they go about their lives that are just about as mundane and horrible as imaginable. The idea that love can conquer anything; that, no matter the situation, love can make everything just a little bit better (again, not unlike Life is Beautiful), is very prevalent in Room, and it makes it a film that families can talk about at the dinner table. This ongoing theme that love conquers all is something that follows Room all throughout the film, and is especially prevalent in the second act.
While Room is technically an R-rated flick, I am of the opinion that it is viewable for nearly all teenagers. IMDb.com’s Parent’s Guide lists Room as R-rated simply for language, as it drops the F-bomb 10 times, and has some more minor profanity, as well. While the plot of a woman and her son being held captive in Room is a mature one to say the least (and, again, sexual abuse is heavily implied, yet never shown explicitly), I believe that it is a film that parents should view with their age-12ish+ children, and talk about its impact and happenings afterward. There are two very intense, sudden scenes that are certainly meant for mature audiences, but there is no nudity and minimal outright violence, making it a film that is fit for many families with teenaged children to view. This is yet another thing that I love about Room; it could have gone for a hard-R that would only be viewable by the most mature of audiences, but instead barely reaches the threshold of R-rated films, and feels much more like a film that many middle school+ children can watch with the parents. Its story, while harrowing and heartbreaking at many, many points throughout the film, is one that families can discuss because of its attention to the pure love held between mother and child, and its willingness to leave some of the more intense moments implied, rather than shown explicitly.
Wrap-Up
Room is my second-favorite film of all-time – just behind the magnificent Me and Earl and the Dying Girl – and is one of the best films of the 2010s. Larson and Tremblay are absolute revelations, with both giving convincing, heartbreaking, harrowing performances without having much interaction with people besides each other. Tremblay, in particular, carries the film, giving one of the top child performances of all-time, and forcing the viewer to watch him because of his outstanding acting abilities. Larson, not to be outdone by the then-nine-year-old, won the Oscar for Best Actress for Room, giving a performance that rivals many of the greats involving on-screen mothers. Larson and Tremblay’s chemistry is enviable for all performers (they remain friends even now, as Larson babysat Tremblay, who was “all over the place,” at the 2016 SAG Awards) and makes the viewer truly believe that they are mother and son; they are stuck in that horrible predicament.
Room is a film that I cannot recommend any more highly, likely for teenagers and up, despite its R rating. I think it provides families with the opportunity to discuss the love held between parent and child, and is a great film to discuss as a family. Quite simply, Room is a must-watch, and is one of the only films to ever garner a legitimate 10/10 from yours truly.
10/10
