Room - directed by Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Wendy Crewson, Matt Gordon, William H Macy, Sean Bridgers, Sandy McMaster
Screenplay: Emma Donoghue (based on her novel)
Music Score by: Stephen Rennicks
Cinematography: Danny Cohen
Edited by: Nathan Nugent
Running Time: 117 minutes
Rated: M - Profanity
Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Brie Larson), Best Screenplay based on previously published material (Donoghue)
Brie Larson is the odds on favourite to win the Best Actress Oscar this year for her performance in "Room".
She has always been good in the long list of tv shows and largely comedy feature films that she has appeared.
"21 Jump Street" and last years "Train Wreck" are just two recent examples.
She is a lovely woman and an often effervescent presence.
But given the opportunity to get stuck into a serious role of some substance Larson reveals exactly how good she really is and how much wider her range is than may appear from her credits.
Based on the novel of the same name and with a screenplay from the book's author "Room" is, on the surface, a simple tale of a Mother and her 5 year old child confined to an 11 x 11 foot room.
The room is referred to as 'room' and not 'the room' by the duo giving it a personality in the way they likewise bestow upon 'lamp', 'chair' and any other number of inanimate objects that the child Jack says goodnight to.
This room is their whole world and it is only ever occupied by one other and only on occasion.
Old Nick arrives in the evening to bring food and supplies and to presumably have sex with 'Ma'.
We are never sure because Jack is sent to the wardrobe while these interactions take place.
It is usually from his viewpoint that we 'witness' these visits.
One night Nick informs Ma of a change in his life that forces her to reveal to Jack exactly what their situation is.
At this point I should warn of what could be considered minor spoilers ahead because there is no way to discuss this movie any further without revealing what happens next.
I went in not knowing anything about the film other than the set up I have described already.
It is not completely necessary to be this ignorant going in and whatever else I do reveal I promise it's nothing that IMDB's synopsis or the film's marketing don't reveal or that you will not know after 30 minutes into the movie.
So you have been warned....
Ma explains to Jack that she was kidnapped ('stolen' is the word she uses) by Nick seven years ago and that the room that she has told him is the whole world is just a soundproofed shed in Nick's backyard.
It is hard for Jack to hear that everything he holds to be true about his life is false but she formulates a plan to get them both out of the place.
The escape is harrowing but successful and the pair are finally put into the care of Ma's Mother and her new boyfriend Leo.
That this plot turn happens less than a third of the way through the movie should clue you into the fact that this film is about more than a Mother and her child shut in a tiny room.
Director Abrahamson and his cinematographer Danny Cohen ("The King's Speech", "The Danish Girl") cleverly hide the true size of the environment for much of the time spent in it and the dialogue doesn't provide too many clues as to why they are there.
So I was playing a wild guessing game in my mind that produced a number of nutty theories of the sort reserved for the twists in an M Night Shyamalan movie!
But this is far from that.
With the questions answered the film focuses more on the complexities of the relationship between Ma and Jack.
It seems clear that she managed to keep going for seven years in captivity because Jack gave her a reason to.
With the child now less dependant on her and with the new stimuli of the larger world and new friends to occupy him Ma starts to have trouble.
As good as Larson has been up to this point she is even better with the new layers to her character now revealed.
The deep bond between Mother and child that has been built as the movie goes along is now altered and sometimes stressed.
Larson's face has emotion bubbling under the surface and there is the sense that she is about to erupt at any point.
Her interaction with her family becomes sharply contrasted to the one that develops between Jack and them.
Young actor Jacob Tremblay is the secret weapon of the movie.
It is easy to overlook the performance of a child but this is a fine, fine turn from the nine year old.
He already has close to a dozen awards in recognition of his work on this film.
The connection with Larson is paramount to the success of the film and both actors are simply perfect.
There aren't any grandstanding moments or flashy monologues - these performances are centred on patience, subtlety and a great understanding of character.
Director Abrahamson must have spent a lot of time assisting in the honing of this dynamic and it pays off in huge fashion.
The last movie that I recall coming close to portraying the unique bond between a Mother and a young child was the excellent "The Impossible" and while "Room" isn't quite as harrowing as that film it is every bit as good.
RATING: 78/ 100
CONCLUSION: Centred around a truly phenomenal performance by Larson with terrific support from Tremblay this is a must see for anyone with even a mild appreciation of acting.
Screenplay: Emma Donoghue (based on her novel)
Music Score by: Stephen Rennicks
Cinematography: Danny Cohen
Edited by: Nathan Nugent
Running Time: 117 minutes
Rated: M - Profanity
Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Brie Larson), Best Screenplay based on previously published material (Donoghue)
Brie Larson is the odds on favourite to win the Best Actress Oscar this year for her performance in "Room".
She has always been good in the long list of tv shows and largely comedy feature films that she has appeared.
"21 Jump Street" and last years "Train Wreck" are just two recent examples.
She is a lovely woman and an often effervescent presence.
But given the opportunity to get stuck into a serious role of some substance Larson reveals exactly how good she really is and how much wider her range is than may appear from her credits.
Based on the novel of the same name and with a screenplay from the book's author "Room" is, on the surface, a simple tale of a Mother and her 5 year old child confined to an 11 x 11 foot room.
The room is referred to as 'room' and not 'the room' by the duo giving it a personality in the way they likewise bestow upon 'lamp', 'chair' and any other number of inanimate objects that the child Jack says goodnight to.
This room is their whole world and it is only ever occupied by one other and only on occasion.
Old Nick arrives in the evening to bring food and supplies and to presumably have sex with 'Ma'.
We are never sure because Jack is sent to the wardrobe while these interactions take place.
It is usually from his viewpoint that we 'witness' these visits.
One night Nick informs Ma of a change in his life that forces her to reveal to Jack exactly what their situation is.
At this point I should warn of what could be considered minor spoilers ahead because there is no way to discuss this movie any further without revealing what happens next.
I went in not knowing anything about the film other than the set up I have described already.
It is not completely necessary to be this ignorant going in and whatever else I do reveal I promise it's nothing that IMDB's synopsis or the film's marketing don't reveal or that you will not know after 30 minutes into the movie.
So you have been warned....
Ma explains to Jack that she was kidnapped ('stolen' is the word she uses) by Nick seven years ago and that the room that she has told him is the whole world is just a soundproofed shed in Nick's backyard.
It is hard for Jack to hear that everything he holds to be true about his life is false but she formulates a plan to get them both out of the place.
The escape is harrowing but successful and the pair are finally put into the care of Ma's Mother and her new boyfriend Leo.
That this plot turn happens less than a third of the way through the movie should clue you into the fact that this film is about more than a Mother and her child shut in a tiny room.
Director Abrahamson and his cinematographer Danny Cohen ("The King's Speech", "The Danish Girl") cleverly hide the true size of the environment for much of the time spent in it and the dialogue doesn't provide too many clues as to why they are there.
But this is far from that.
With the questions answered the film focuses more on the complexities of the relationship between Ma and Jack.
It seems clear that she managed to keep going for seven years in captivity because Jack gave her a reason to.
With the child now less dependant on her and with the new stimuli of the larger world and new friends to occupy him Ma starts to have trouble.
As good as Larson has been up to this point she is even better with the new layers to her character now revealed.
The deep bond between Mother and child that has been built as the movie goes along is now altered and sometimes stressed.
Larson's face has emotion bubbling under the surface and there is the sense that she is about to erupt at any point.
Her interaction with her family becomes sharply contrasted to the one that develops between Jack and them.
Young actor Jacob Tremblay is the secret weapon of the movie.
It is easy to overlook the performance of a child but this is a fine, fine turn from the nine year old.
He already has close to a dozen awards in recognition of his work on this film.
The connection with Larson is paramount to the success of the film and both actors are simply perfect.
There aren't any grandstanding moments or flashy monologues - these performances are centred on patience, subtlety and a great understanding of character.
Director Abrahamson must have spent a lot of time assisting in the honing of this dynamic and it pays off in huge fashion.
The last movie that I recall coming close to portraying the unique bond between a Mother and a young child was the excellent "The Impossible" and while "Room" isn't quite as harrowing as that film it is every bit as good.
No comments:
Post a Comment