Room (I) (2015) User Reviews

A tense and compelling film

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 8 November 2015]

Lenny Abrahamson's Room opens in a 10 x 10 room that has no windows, a locked door, and no light other than that provided by an overhead skylight. Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a slight five-year old boy with hair down to his shoulders wakes up each morning as he has all his life, saying hello to his world. He says hello, not to the sun or the grass outside his front door where he can run and laugh and play but only to the objects which is all his world consists of: the lamp, the sink, the plant, the refrigerator. His only friend is a mouse that he feeds with some pleasure.

Not that he lacks for companionship. Ma (Brie Larson) is with him and their endless days consist of cooking, reading, and watching TV where Jack is told that what he sees on the screen is not real, only pretend. All he knows of the world is what he sees in front of his eyes. Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) brings food and other household items but when he comes, Jack has to hide in his wardrobe, out of sight. Ma, we find out, has been kept prisoner and used for sex by the hulking man who comes every night and we know that Jack is a result of his mother's rape. Jack is the focus of the film and we see everything from his point of view, with the help of his sometime narration but we can also get into his mother's mind and feel her pain and live her dreams.

There is never any doubt of his mother's love though the obvious strain of keeping herself from crying out every minute is painfully obvious. To Jack, she is the center of his world and his reason for being. When the second half of the film takes a surprising turn and shifts 180 degrees, Jack and Ma are not prepared for what awaits them. Even when an alternative is suggested as possible, he doesn't want to hear anything about a different world with blue sky and rivers and trees. Room is a tense and compelling film in which Brie Larson more than fulfills the brilliance that she showed in Short Term 12 and should make her an Oscar contender. Tremblay is also superb.

He lives his character and makes him come alive, even though he is only nine years old. Supporting roles by Joan Allen and William H. Macy also contribute to the film's second half but it is always Larson and Tremblay that carry the day. The film is not mawkish or sentimental even though the soaring score by Stephen Rennicks comes close. While there are has some plot implausibilities, the film is a tribute to the resiliency and the dedicated love of a parent for their child. It is also a teaching experience. Like many who are walled off from each other and think the box they are in is all there is, the film can give us the combination to open the locked door, if we take the risk to turn the key.

A Harrowing Film with Incredible Performances!

[namashi_1 · 9/10 · 19 December 2015]

Based on the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, 'Room' is a challenging, unsettling, harrowing film, that leaves you disturbed. But that is its sheer power. The Incredible Performances only add to the film's hefty nature.

'Room' Synopsis: After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world.

'Room' is a disturbing story about bad things that happen to good people. But its also about hope & fighting back. Its shocking to see the protagonist, a child, discover the world along-with his brave mother, who survived a harrowing experience. I was engrossed & often disturbed by the narrative, especially after the son & mother escape. The series of events that follow are so gut-wrenching, I almost broke down.

'Room' is masterfully penned by Emma Donoghue herself. The Writing is consistently powerful & the dialogue are realistic to the core. Lenny Abrahamson's Direction is first-class. He has handled this dramatic, unsettling tale with complete flourish. Cinematography is perfectly claustrophobic. Editing is razor-crisp. Art Design is skilfully done.

Performance-Wise: Brie Larson & Jacob Tremblay deliver incredible performances. Brie is astounding as the tormented, yet brave protagonist, while Jacob steals the show with a flawless performance. The child does wonders & makes 'Room' unforgettable. Of the supporting cast, Joan Allen & The Always Solid William H. Macy leave a solid mark.

On the whole, 'Room' is a must watch! Its certainly unsettling, but its power is undeniable.

Claustrophobic beauty

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 2 February 2018]

That review summary may sound very oxymoronic, but to me it applies to a film such as 'Room'. A film with a difficult subject, that is the stuff of nightmares, but tells it so beautifully with an interesting approach that works better than all the potential traps that films of its genre could fall under.

What could have easily have been told in a lurid, gratuitous way (being inspired by the true-life case of Josef Fritzl) is instead told in a careful and restrained way. There is even an innocence in 'Room', due to its very fascinating decision to tell it from the viewpoint of a five year old, in this case Jack, one that comes off very movingly and gives a sense that there is a little ray of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. The source material, equally brilliant, is to be thanked here, its author Emily Donoghue adapts it to screen here and none of its power is lost.

Really appreciated the careful and restrained approach to the storytelling in 'Room', and for me and many others it was something different considering the subject. It does though affect some of the pacing in the middle act, where a little of the tension seen in especially the first part is lost a little.

For my tastes too, though it probably did fit the film's younger and more innocent viewpoint it's told from, the music score does lay it on too thick with the treacle.

However, loved how the story was told and its approach. What 'Room' also strongly benefitted from being told this way was that the mother and son relationship was able to shine through and really resonate, which it may not have done as effectively with a heavier tone. And shine through it does, with great charm and poignancy. Also appreciated that none of the characters were painted too black and white, even Old Nick.

Production values are effectively claustrophobic and the nocturnal parts chillingly nightmarish. 'Room' is beautifully directed by someone who understood how claustrophobic thrillers worked, how mother and son bonds do in dire situations do and the ability to combine both to ensure a powerful experience. A directing job that's both unsettling and empathetic. Similarly 'Room' is written with effortless skill and deft thoughtfulness.

Can't find anything to fault the performances. The superb one of Brie Larson, that was a very worthy Oscar (Golden Globe and Bafta too) win in her category, is an obvious starting point, but one mustn't overlook the beyond-his-years turn of young Jacob Tremblay, one of the best child acting performances in recent years, and William H Macy and Joan Allen both giving some of their best work in years. Sean Bridgers also gives much more to what could have been a standard cliché role.

Overall, great powerful film but the somewhat fascinatingly unconventional (for the genre) way the story was told won't work for some. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The acting is phenomenal!

[0U · 22 February 2020]

Marvelous film. Captivating plot filled with mountains of emotions. Brie Larson's performance in this film was breathtaking. Her emotions, facial expressions and tones were perfectly done, which is one of the main reasons why this was such an incredible film. Jacob Tremblay's performance was also amazing.

Infinitely deep, an experience I will not forget.

[imdmt · 10/10 · 2 January 2016]

*Insert all 9 & 10 reviews here* I was in awe during the entire film. Lenny Abrahamson & the writing team made sure there was not one dull moment. The addition of "insignificant" characters and plot twists are later realized to be so significant and influential in keeping the film alive throughout its duration. It was the little things that made this story one of the best I've seen in a long time. I experienced an entire palette of emotions all at once and was left in a deep level of curiosity and reflection. Very few films have the power to continue to influence its audience after the credits. Room is endless in the most beautiful way.

Incredibly real & disturbing. A bit slow though

[ivantheeditor · 7/10 · 21 August 2020]

I really enjoyed this movie. Although it was a bit slow overall there were definitely a few moments where I held my breath. However, I feel like the movie should have focused more on the room and the escape instead of life after the escape. Once they got out it was quite boring. The movie should have just ended there IMO.

The best film I've seen in years: indescribable!

[mulandarkside · 10/10 · 24 October 2015]

I know one thing, I will never, ever forget this heartrending, unbelievably-acted 'movie' for the rest of my days. I'm just at a loss for words and struggling to describe how truly powerful and heart-grabbing this story was. I'll go so far as to say that if you don't cry, shed a tear, or feel the urge to weep profusely after (or while) watching Room, you don't have a heart. The mother (Brie Larson) and her son (Jacob Tremblay, 9 years old!) carry this entire movie. The beauty of Room is in its bare rawness, realness and universally relatable nature. What can I say? It tapped into something deep, deep, deep within me and just ripped my heart to shreds and had me in tears; sometimes tears of sadness, and other times tears of heavenly joy. It made me smile at times and even laugh. But most of all, it always had my eyes glued to the screen and my soul enthralled by what I was witnessing. This is one of the best, truly real stories ever told and one of the best uses of cinema I've ever seen. ...Try not to read much/anything about it before going in to see it (and yes, definitely catch it in a theater near you ASAP). Go in and be engrossed and moved (in ways I can't describe) by this experience. 10/10 *Hands down* the best film of 2015, and the single best thing I've seen in years. :')

Awesome film - shame about the trailer

[bob-the-movie-man · 9/10 · 27 January 2016]

Room, based on the book by Emma Donoghue, starts on young Jack's 5th birthday. He gets a birthday cake from his mother (but no candles); a visit from his father; and a gift, albeit belatedly. This would all be perfectly normal except that all of this takes place within 'Room' - a confined space with only a single skylight for daylight and no means of escape. For the mother, Joy, was abducted as a teen and locked away for sex in the style of the dreadful real-life examples such as that perpetrated by Josef Fritzl in Austria. Jack is the (presumably) unintended result: a boy with no perception of the real world beyond his four single-sided walls and with the staunchly-held view that the things he sees on a flickering TV screen are in 'TV land' and unreal. Will Jack and Joy survive and ever see freedom again?

And that's where I'll leave this synopsis, since (if you've been lucky enough to avoid the trailer) there is a tense cat-and-mouse story to unfurl here.

This is an absorbing, although slow-moving, film that builds to some truly nail-biting moments. The screenwriter (also Donoghue) and director (Irishman Lenny "Frank" Abrahamson) are to be commended in keeping the story and drama really well-grounded and un-saccharined. Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), the 'evil kidnapper', is not painted as some predictable monster: he is even portrayed to be kind and caring at some warped level. And there is no gratuitous sex: we are in effect seven years into the story and the abnormal is now completely normalised.

The film is told primarily from the viewpoint of Jack (Jacob Tremblay) but we also get under the skin of Joy (Brie Larson) and her emotions in trying to mentally deal with her ordeal. Looking at a picture of her with her school friends she bitterly comments that "Nothing happened to them - - they just got on with their lives".

The acting is superb. I made the mistake of voting for John Boyega for the BAFTA Rising Star award before seeing this film (you can cast your vote here http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/ee-rising-star-award-in-2016). Not that Boyega isn't great, but Brie Larson really REALLY delivers here. She obviously won't give a hoot if she wins the Best Actress Oscar! And for me, for this award, she shines out in what I would perhaps see as one of this year's weaker Oscar categories. Jacob Tremblay is also exceptional as Jack - and it would be nice (rather than try to compare young performances with adult ones, as per Anna Paquin) if there was a special awards category for actors and actresses under 10. If there was, then Tremblay would storm it! You seriously forget that this is a child acting a part. He is totally connected to the role and these two core performances lock in your belief in the story.

Supporting the cast are the ever reliable William H Macy as Joy's mentally tortured father, Joan Allen (Pamela Landy from the "Bourne" films) as her equally distraught mother and Sean Bridgers as the kidnapper.

At 2 hours long some of the scenes in the middle of the film made my attention waver a little. But my main criticism is in the trailer and marketing of the film. If ever there was a need for a true 'teaser trailer' this is it. I never know who is responsible for putting trailers together - whether the director has the final say or whether its some nameless marketing bods in the distribution company, but whoever it is they should be taken out and 'given a good talking to' for this travesty. It's like putting all of the twists in films like "The Crying Game", "The Sixth Sense" and "Gone Girl" in their respective trailers. I've gone so far as to create my own One Mann's Movies cut of the trailer, just for you good people, which I have included with my bob-the-movie-man.com version of this review.

A leisurely, nuanced and effecting drama, this is not for fans of "Die Hard" or "Fast and Furious" fans. But for everyone else, this should be a must see.

Please visit bob-the-movie-man.com for the graphical version of this review. Thanks.

Half of it was really good.

[thenitdkupfer · 5/10 · 24 August 2018]

I was really into this movie during the first hour. But I have to say.. I am not sure what the point of the last hour even was.. I figured there must be some twist, but nope. It didn't know what kind of movie it wanted to be.

(Insert Expletive Here).... Perfect!!!!!

[fredf-67149 · 10/10 · 16 December 2015]

Don't listen to the haters or those that want to chip away at the overall brilliance of 'Room'. What film doesn't have small flaws, they pale into insignificance during the 2 hours of continuous emotional maelstrom that follows. This film wrings every last drop of emotion and drama out of the allotted playtime. Make no mistake, despite short bursts of touching serenity, this films starts up full throttle and doesn't let-up. I can only assume reviewers here scoring this film 8 or less must be Vulcan by birth, or just terminally insensitive. This is a first rate drama with stand out performances all round. Especially from the child protagonist.

**Warning** If you have trouble viewing emotionally charged material of a sensitive nature about abuse. You would be well advised not to view this film.

Jacob Tremblay gives one of the finest child performances of all time.

[CubsandCulture · 10/10 · 20 September 2019]

There is a lot to admire about this film. The direction in the first hour and the final minutes, especially gets the most out of the concept and manages to make a 10 by 10 foot space seem like everything and eventually nothing. Likewise, the direction leaves much of the horror to the imagination and it is all the more chilling as a result. The screenplay is sparse and spartan in the way real life is around such horrific events. I like that several of the tensions in the story, i.e. grandfather's inability to deal with his grandson, are left unresolved. Finally Larson gives one hell of an understated, yet raw, performance that elevates the already strong material.

But much credit has to be given to Jacob Tremblay as well as the director for producing one of the finest, if not the finest, child performances of all time. I haven't seen a child actor as natural and real since at least Justin Henry in Kramer vs Kramer 40+ years ago. Tremblay has no artifice or pretension at all. Jack isn't cloying and so much of the emotional power comes from that character. It would be a remarkable performance no matter what but Jack is a hard character to play. Strictly speaking, Jack is the protagonist and it is his story-the movie at its core is a coming of age tale (abet a messed up one). The scenario that Jack is in is just hard for any person to really sell, let alone a child actor. It is a very good performance.

This is a good movie. It is hopeful in the end but it is intense.

An incredibly good film.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 18 November 2023]

A young woman and her son live a life confined in a small room, she's been captive for seven years, five year old Jack has never know life outside, a plan is hatched to give the two their freedom.

This film is staggeringly good, all I would say, is that if you're not totally in love with the first fifteen or twenty minutes, please just stick with it, honestly it gets better and better, it turns into something quite captivating.

The writing is incredible, the acting is sensational, I cried, I felt uncomfortable, I felt moved, what an incredible scenario to think of, imagine seeing the world anew.

Poor Brie Larson hasn't had a good run of fortune in recent times, and after suffering the dismal Marvels, I needed to be reminded of just how good and talented an actress she is,

The young Jacob Tremblay is incredible, at such a young age, it's a phenomenal performance.

10/10.

A Series of Plodding Events

[dfranzen70 · 6/10 · 30 September 2015]

At the start of Room, a young woman and her five-year-old son are living in the titular edifice, a backyard shed. The woman (Brie Larson) has always told Jack (Jacob Tremblay) that "outer space" is all that exists outside Room; as far as Jack is concerned, this is the gospel truth and the universe consists of Room and Room alone.

It is not giving anything away to note that Ma and Jack escape Room, as the movie is more about the ability of each to cope with the outside world. For Jack, every step and every breath outside is a wholly new experience. Ma, despite having lived for 17 years before coming to Room, encounters different obstacles – the world has moved on, and she doubts her own ability as a mother to Jack.

I had been expecting a suspenseful drama-thriller about a daring escape, given the various synopses I'd read. (The movie is based on a novel by Emma Donoghue, which is itself loosely based on real events.) Much of the first half of the film, though, concentrates on life inside Room for Ma and Jack. Ma uses her strong will and infinite patience to convince Jack for five years that all is well and that what they have is a normal life, that what they see on television is not real, but everything from the single bed to the lidless toilet tank is definitely real. Ma sacrifices as much as she can to keep Jack happy and (relatively) safe, even to the point of giving herself over to her captor on a regular basis in exchange for food and other items for Jack and herself.

To say that this first half moves slowly would be to understate things. We don't just get a slice of the life that the duo leads; we get the entire pie, and most of it just isn't all that exciting or intriguing. We do get to see a little into the characters of the characters, pardon the phrasing. We see that Jack doesn't like to not get his way or to have his worldview challenged. Then again, who does at age 5? We see that Ma is often calm but firm with her young charge. It's a small Room, after all; no need to go nuclear when there's really no point to it. In any event, much time is spent watching their everyday sheltered lives. Because the general plot involved their lives beyond Room, I began to grow impatient: Were they going to spend the entire movie in Room, only to escape in the final minutes? Why wouldn't anything happen? The fact that Ma and Jack would eventually escape left the first half of the movie perfectly devoid of suspense. Although still waters do often run deep, I didn't really feel like I was getting a lot out of watching a whole lot of nothing.

Once they do escape, though, things pick up. The focus quickly shifts from a struggle for survival to a struggle to understand. Ma's parents, played by Joan Allen and William H. Macy, have different reactions to the return of their daughter and the arrival of their new (to them) grandson. In the five years since Ma's abduction, her parents have separated; her dad lives on the other side of the country now, and her mom lives with her friend Leo (Tom McCamus). With Ma's return, there's a lot of media hype, and lawyers, atop a potent array of stress factors. Escaping may have been the easy part.

The acting is uniformly terrific. Larson's work is powerful, evocative, and heart-wrenching, and it's definitely award worthy. Allen and Macy also excel with perhaps the best work in their respective careers, and that's saying something. Young Tremblay is also very good – as is his character, a plucky, long-haired cherub who's more at home in Room than in the outside world (and with good reason).

But the acting cannot overcome what's basically a very turgid script. Room is punchless at its core, and it would be a total waste if it weren't for the Herculean efforts of its talented cast. When there is no action, I look for meaning. When there is no meaning or action, I look for the exit. Room suffers from spending too much time contemplating things and not enough time doing them – or at least discussing them. Forget the action, I wouldn't have minded seeing more reaction. The first half of the movie could have been subtitled "A Series of Plodding Events." The second half goes a long way toward saving the first, thanks in part to additional characters and a fresh setting, but it's not enough to save the entire movie.

Inside out

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 28 October 2016]

But that title was already taken. Also Room is pretty accurate and hits "home" (no pun intended). But while I had no idea what I would get with this (apart from the title and the lead actress I didn't know one piece of information), most will go into this knowing what it's about. The general idea is explained fairly quickly, though the why of the closed space or rather location and the reason for staying might take a while to sink in.

If you already know some of the whys because of the trailer or reading the story, don't be afraid though. The movie moves forward and it does not stay stagnant at all. That is true regarding the story, but the characters have some other issues to solve. Talking about solving, you won't get all the answers for this, but this is a pretty good and strong depiction psychologically speaking of what persons go through, without getting into their heads. Great acting and drama make this a great movie ... if you like the genre that is of course.

The flip side of freedom

[rubenm · 7/10 · 14 March 2016]

In 'Room', there are lots of things we don't see. We don't see how the lead character, Joy, is raped by her abductor who keeps her imprisoned for more than five years with her little son Jack. We don't see how she is liberated by the police, after she manages to let her son escape. We don't see what happens to her abductor and rapist.

The director doesn't show all these things, because they distract from the theme of this movie: the way mother and son cope with their freedom. The surprising thing about this film is that this freedom turns out to be rather problematic in a lot of ways. Even so much so, that Jack starts to long for the intimacy and the routine of life inside the shed he called Room.

The film shows how life in Room is claustrophobic, but also intimate and familiar. There are no unexpected developments in Room, but there is a lot of love between mother and son. Once they escape Room, everything changes. For Jack, who has never known a world outside Room, this is very threatening. He has to share his mother's attention with other people, he has to get used to all sorts of impulses, he has to learn how things like a telephone work.

In this film, there is only one major dramatic event: Jack's escape and the subsequent liberation of his mother Joy. The rest of the film is rather uneventful: at first we see Joy and Jack in their daily routine in Room, and afterward we see them cope with all sorts of problems in the house of Joy's parents. Still, the film is almost never boring. The psychological developments make up for the lack of real action. And although there quite some emotional scenes, the director didn't make an outright tearjerker.

Sensitive and Delicate

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 17 April 2017]

Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live in a small room in a shed without windows and with only a skylight on the roof. When Joy has encounters with a man, Jack locks himself in a closet. When Jack is five years old, Joy tells him that she lived with her parents in a comfortable house and a man called Old Nick lured and kidnapped her seven years ago. Joy plots a scheme to let Jack flee from the room and call the police. When they are rescued, they move to the house of Joy's mother and they have to begin the adaptation to the routine of a normal life. But is it not easy.

"Room" is a sensitive and delicate film with a dramatic and realistic story of woman and child abuse and the effects in the aftermath. The screenplay is very well written increasing tension without the use of cheap means such as graphic violence, sex and gore but only subtle dialogues. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay have awesome performances, showing also fantastic chemistry, and with magnificent supporting cast including names such as Joan Allen and William H. Macy. In the end, "Room" is an unforgettable and unique film that touches the viewer's heart. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Quarto de Jack" ("The Room of Jack")

Why does one of the worst movies created only have 'The' in its title to differentiate itself from this extraordinary spectacle

[Alex1972249 · 7/10 · 16 January 2016]

When I first saw that a new trailer for a film called 'Room was released online, i had a shiver cast through my spine, dreading that it wasn't a remake, sequel, or re-release of the 2003 monstrosity that was 'The Room'. How relieved I was to find out it was actually about a mother and sons journey of escaping from the single, enclosed room where they were held captive in and then watching the 5 year-old 'Jack' adapt to the huge world we live in.

The main structure of the film splits down into 2 parts; When they're inside 'Room' and when they've escaped. I completely felt for Brie Larsons 'Ma' having to raise a child who's only experiences in life have occurred inside 'Room'. Larsons performance was something that added so much emotional depth to her character as she manages to show the psychological damage 'Old Nick' (her kidnapper) has put her through. The 9 year old Jacob Tremblay added a believable performance from such a young actor who at times you really feel sorrow for.

Then, when the riveting escape sequence is over, the film seems moved to its second half; The outside world. For me this felt like a complete shift in the films pass and tone, which I believe was a great decision as it was almost simulating how our protagonists felt when they were welcomed back into society. However, I really feel that, whilst the trailer didn't take anything away from the film for me, it would of been better not to of shown the fact that they became free of 'Room'

Great performances from everyone, an deeply emotional tone, and an overall great film to watch.

One of the best 2015 had to offer.

Room is not as good as everyone says it is.

[Rendanlovell · 5/10 · 29 December 2015]

Room stars Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. It offers Larson her best performance of her career and Tremblay a break out role. While he may not quite get past the whole "kid actor" stereotype he is admittedly better than almost every other child actor out there today. Both of these actors are receiving some serious awards buzz right now, as is this film in general. This may be due to the odd nature of its plot line. A mother and child are stuck inside a room for at least five years of their lives. Trapped inside never once going out to see or experience the world. So, when they get out we watch as this child gets to see everything for the first time.

Yes it's an interesting plot that hasn't really been done before but it can't really pull it off. It's odd that it struggles so bad with making this a worthy adaption of the book seeing as the author actually wrote the film. Much like last years 'Gone Girl'. However 'Gone Girl' actually had a good director.

The one other film this director had done was 'Frank'. So I had high hopes for this film. Unfortunately, he may have proved to us that he is a one hit wonder. Because this film is not near as good as everyone is saying. This mainly steams from sloppy writing. Writing that would've probably worked in a book format. In that format you are able to show characters thoughts and feelings far easier than in film so you have to write accordingly.

But this doesn't happen. This is really the only reason this film fails. But it fails hard. From the first scenes of the film it was pretty clear that not enough thought went into making this a piece of cinema. Characters actions and reactions to everything feel absurdly artificial. Like a cop figuring out where the room they lived in was from one extremely vague sentence. Or how the film seems to pretend like these two had never made one single escape attempt.

Literally the second escape they try gets them out. I couldn't help think that they had never actually tried, because the guy didn't even hesitate to buy into their trick. In fact not one person in this film reacts naturally. Everyone was an extreme version of a normal person and it made nearly everyone in the film super unlikable. Especially the main two characters. They did virtually nothing aside from scream at whoever they wanted for no apparent reason.

Almost every conversation ended in an annoying screaming match between random people. A screaming match that either made no sense or just made you dislike the characters. So, when these two get out it's hard to legitimately care about them. You don't know anything about them other then the fact that they liked yelling for no reason.

'Room' may have strong performances and an interesting idea to back it up but not much else. It has a hard time making you actually care about its characters. No one reacts like a human being but instead yells at each other when ever they feel like they need to. It wastes its best qualities with a limp and lifeless script that fails to appropriately adapt the acclaimed novel.

Emotional and compelling stuff thanks to the tight focus on well written and performed characters

[bob the moo · 2 July 2016]

Driven mostly by the initially intriguing concept, this film surprised me by resolving this around this mid-point of the film. Not having read the book or really heard anything specific about the film, it did catch me off guard in a small way, since I had come into the film with the specifics of the situation in mind. The first half of the film does make it more than this though, because I was drawn into a relationship which was emotionally raw and compelling. The film uses the limits of the room really well, focusing on the mother/son relationship and making us care about it while also being horrified by the specifics.

The second half of the film manages to maintain that engagement, while flipping the characters in such a way that made the drama work in a much different way, and cast a different light on the first half of the film. It is tough in terms of subject matter, but at the same time it is easy to watch because of how well the film draws you into caring about the lead two characters. A big part of this is how well both Larson and Tremblay delivery; they are organic and natural performances, and are supported equally well by the likes of Allen and Macey. The writing and the performances make it, and in the end the film is a lot of heart and works as a result of this.

Wow. Just wow.

[loandy-42002 · 9/10 · 11 June 2021]

What a movie. The acting is first rate. This movie gets so tense, my heart was pounding. The movie really does take you through some emotions. The last time I felt like this was watching 'The Lovely Bones'.

The story seems to be made up, but it strikes me so much

[toby_sun · 10/10 · 12 March 2019]

I came to this movie after watching Captain Marvel, in which Brie Larson played a boring role, and I wondered what made her famous. Then I really got amazed and deeply struck by her (and her little child's) exquisite performance. I was moved to tears by this movie which depicted those touching scenes of a horrible story, where the mom and her boy depend on each other and take care of each other. The movie remind me of how beautiful our world is and what make us human. Definitely one of the best movies I've ever watched.

Too long

[ave_claudiu · 6/10 · 30 January 2016]

It's too long and it gets very very boring some times. There are a lot o movies which exploit much better this idea In the beginning of the movie there is not even a clue what is going on but i guess this is a movie trick used by the director.It's not about the fact that they have not escaped in those years. It's about the fact that the movie,after they escape shows a very little preoccupation for the true situation of the characters,of the inside fight. At least it is a better candidate for the Oscar prize, but it is not a movie which deserves a position in top 250 or to be nominated for Oscars. It is good when you put it besides the big short,spotlight,the revenant,bridge of spies, but come on... I hope Mad max will have a serious chance for winning the prize

Makes a Better Movie Than Book

[evanston_dad · 9/10 · 11 April 2016]

"Room" is the rare film that improves on the book on which it's based.

I had a complicated reaction to the novel. I found the first half actually set in the room to be nearly unbearable. I'm a father of young boys and trying to imagine the scenario set up in the book made me almost physically ill. I'm not sure I could have read the whole thing if the mother and her son had not escaped from their captor, but once they did, I felt like the air went out of the book and everything that happened after was much less compelling.

The movie spends much less of its time in the room itself, because what takes pages and pages to describe in the book can be conveyed much more quickly with a few carefully chosen images. Therefore, more of the film takes place on the outside, but the filmmakers do a better job of making that the compelling narrative. The movie becomes a tribute to the resilience and adaptability of children, and captures that feeling parents experience when the world and all it contains once again becomes a wondrous place because they're seeing it through the eyes of their children.

Brie Larson won an Oscar for her performance, and while I certainly don't begrudge her the win, I didn't feel that her performance was necessarily the slam-dunk best of the year that her dominance of the awards circuit suggested. The one who amazes in the film is Jacob Tremblay, playing Jack. He carries the film in a way that many adult actors can't manage, and some of the later scenes, especially those with his grandmother (played by a wonderful Joan Allen), quietly reduced me to a quivering mess.

Grade: A

A very average affair

[PrashunChakraborty · 6/10 · 5 February 2016]

There it is the first movie of the award season which I did not think much of. Don't get me wrong it's a decent but thoroughly average film. The movie starts out promisingly and does a couple of things right, makes no mistakes but does nothing special or extraordinary with the situation. I gave the movie the benefit of the doubt and was hoping the psychological aspects of the film would step up in the second half but it didn't do so, the second half completely changes the situation for worse, there are new problems to deal with and the movie goes about them in it's usual half committed way which was prevalent in first half. The acting is definitely the strong suit of the film, Brie Larson is amazing and I would be OK with her winning the Oscar, though I didn't think much of the film I thought she was great. The kid played by Jacob Tremblay showed amazing depth and variety for a young child. The weakness of the film is direction, it does not capitalizes on it's setting, it has no great scenes and does not visually grab you at anytime (I am not reading a book I am watching a movie), also sometimes Brie Larson's character is quite inconsistent and unrealistic sometimes, she shows very few signs of PTSD, it sometimes feels she was trapped in Room for weeks not seven years, not her fault though, another misstep by the director, along with not capitalizing that Jack maybe better off without Joy (it touches so less on the REAL issues it's infuriating).

Totally avoidable

[Nand2Tetris · 2/10 · 27 December 2015]

This is one of those movies that the IMDb rating tricks you into believing is better than it actually is. The IMDb synopsis also makes you believe that you are being taken on a journey - of the struggles of being held captive, into the psyche of the captor, of the innocence of childhood, of motherly love that triumphs. You probably imagine some sort of "Life is Beautiful" unfolding in a room. But NO! Be warned. This movie is about an annoying kid and his annoyed mom stuck in a room. They both manage to escape the room and guess what? They continue to be annoying and annoyed. The characters are so completely one dimensional, the movie fails to both entertain or be insightful. You end up feeling stuck with the characters in this 2 hour long ordeal. Like someone dragging a fingernail on a chalkboard. The quickly made TV documentaries after kidnapped victims are rescued (as in the case of Elizabeth Smart or Amanda Berry) look like Oscar winning stories in contrast and are actually watchable. This movie is plain painful to watch.