Room **** (2015, Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, William H Macy, Sean Bridgers) – Movie Review

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay star as Ma and Jack, a devoted mother and her spirited five-year-old son, who are trapped in a windowless, 10-foot by 10-foot room, where bizarrely Ma tries to create a life for them and they manage to survive. But one day, at the end of their tether, they concoct a dangerous plan to escape…

Emma Donoghue’s expert screenplay adapts her own bestselling novel, conceived after hearing about five-year-old Felix in the Fritzl case of a woman was locked in a basement by her father who gave her both Felix and six other children.

Both a nerve-jangling thriller and a haunting personal and social drama, Room is made with the greatest commitment and flair by Lenny Abrahamson, the director of What Richard Did (2012) and Frank (2014). The acting is marvellous, with Larson and Tremblay both incredible and Joan Allen spot on as Ma’s chilly, fragile mother, though William H Macy has disappointingly little to do as grandpa.

The ultra-tense claustrophobic first half is probably the better, but the second act in which the boy sets out to try to discover the outside world is thrilling. I should point out that Room is a challenging experience, a shade gruelling and depressing, yet ultimately heartrending and uplifting.

Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015 and American Film Institute award as Movie of the Year, it is one of the outstanding films of the year, with three Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Best Screenplay Motion Picture.

Overlooked there, Tremblay is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016, along with Larson for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Brie Larson won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. And on 28 February 2016, she won the Best Actress Oscar too. A star is born! There were three other Oscar nominations – for Best Motion Picture, Best Achievement in Directing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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