Room (I) (2015) User Reviews (829)

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.

Imagine yourself as a 5 year old child discovering for the first time a brand new world exists outside of your room

[Ed-Shullivan · 10/10 · 20 September 2015]

SPOILER: At the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival the film "ROOM" won the People's Choice Award today. It tells a story of a young woman and her five year old son who have been held in captivity in a confined and windowless living space for six years. Brie Larson stars as Ma and her son named Jack is played by Jacob Tremblay who is so believable that you will feel empathetic towards their captivity but relief as to how Ma convinces Jack that their little world is real and is wonderful.

As Jack grows he starts to ask questions about their isolated lifestyle and we the audience anticipate that Ma must try and escape with young Jack but how?

The story draws similarities to the actual events that were Jaycee Lee Dugard's true life story which occurred on June 10, 1991, in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dugard was 11 years old at the time she was abducted from a street while she was walking from home to a school bus stop and she was held captive for the next 18 years in a concealed back yard in a make shift shed. There is also some resemblance to the kidnapping of Amanda Berry who had a child fathered by her kidnapper Ariel Castro. This film was titled Cleveland Abduction and it was released in 2015. It tells the true story of three girls who were held captive for over 10 years by Ariel Castro in his home with no one aware how close the girls were to their own homes and families.

The film Room focuses more on Jack and Ma's awkward adjustment to life outside of their room which was their entire world for the past six years. There is a strong supporting cast including performances such as Joan Allen's role as Jack's loving Grandma and the ever convincing all-star William H Macy as a resistant Grandpa who is having difficulty accepting that his daughter is raising her rapist's son.

There are some scenes that are so heartwarming that it will be difficult not to find yourself becoming emotionally involved. In one particular very touching and loving scene, Jack asks his Grandma to cut his long hair so that the strength that he thinks that his shoulder length hair possesses can be transferred over to his sick Ma so she can return home from the hospital. Jack who understandably is initially withdrawn from anyone other than his Ma simply tells his Grandma after she washes and cuts his hair that he loves her. This loving scene between Jack and his Grandma will stay with me forever.

Jack and Ma's is a story of isolation, fear, hopelessness versus hope and most importantly a film about redemption and the family bond. Room is deserving of an Oscar nomination for best picture and nominations in a few other categories as well such as best actress, best actor and best director. I give the film a 9.5 out of 10 rating. This film is terrific!!

A brilliant movie, but painful to watch

[Red-125 · 10/10 · 14 December 2015]

Room (2015/I) was directed by Lenny Abrahamson. It stars Jacob Tremblay as Jack and Brie Larson as his mother ("Ma")

The situation becomes very clear early in the film. Jack and his mother are held captive by a man who has kidnapped her, raped her, impregnated her, and uses her as his sexual slave. Jack and his mother have lived in a small, locked shed, which they call "Room." Jack's mother has lived in "Room" since she was abducted seven years earlier. Jack has lived there for all of his life--five years.

By incredible ingenuity, motivated by love, Ma has kept Jack from realizing the horrors of their situation. It's hard to believe that anyone could be so motivated and capable, allowing the boy to believe that his situation is normal, but it works in the film and you accept it.

What happens next is pretty well known, but I won't go into it because it might decrease your enjoyment of the movie. It's dramatic, frightening, and, heart-wrenching, all at the same time.

Brie Larson does a wonderful job as the mother, and Jacob Tremblay has to be the best child actor we have. He is absolutely brilliant. Director Abrahamson must be an extremely talented man to draw two such great performances from his actors.

This is a must-see film, but it's not easy to watch. Even though Room wasn't based on any specific incident, we all know of cases of warped men who have kidnapped and enslaved women. It's hard to think about the lives of those women without becoming depressed.

We saw the film at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. Given the claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie, it will work on the small screen as well. Seek it out and watch, but prepare yourself mentally before you begin.

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.

This one is gonna stick with me

[ryan-bfd · 10/10 · 6 January 2016]

"Room" is an adaption of an internationally best-seller novel written by Irish playwright and novelist, Emma Donoghue. This is her first book to be adapted into a major motion picture and I have to say that it is a rather impressive one. I have not read Emma's novel yet, but I can only guess that this movie sticks to the novel's roots, considering that Emma decided to write the screenplay herself. Room is a story about a women who was kidnapped during her high school years and locked in a shed for 7 years. She was impregnated by her kidnapper in this room and was locked inside with the child. The child grows up and around the age of five is when the movie picks up. Throughout this entire movie we are taken through this story strictly from the Jack's (the child) point of view. Even though this story is experienced through the lens of this child, the story is in no way filtered or gussied up. It is this intimate and raw story about a child and his mother spending a hugely relevant portion of their existence stuck in this dull, dirty and claustrophobia-inducing shed. This shed contained one small window that emits a tiny portion of daylight into the room. To me, this represented a light at the end of the tunnel. Sort of like a tiny glimmer of hope in a deep and dark abyss. Throughout this entire movie, Jack narrates his experiences as he embarks upon the world. Jacob Trembley portrays this character with such a sense of wonder and innocence that every single narration that I hear from this boy is just heartbreaking. Every time Jack takes away something from the world, he takes it in as something new and exciting even if it is scary. They are things that everyone takes for granted everyday: trees, dogs, the sky, etc. You would think that the dramatic climax would be at the beginning when Jack gets out of the tiny room he has been locked in his entire life, but after-wards, this film just drags in one dramatic scene after another in a way that turns this film into one big heartache an experience. I do have say that Jacob Trembley and Allison Brie's performances carry a lot of the weight of this film. Allison gives a very natural and organic performance. You never catch her overacting or being too stiff during any scene in this movie. Jack Trembley gave one of the most, if not the most, impressive performances of the year. Not just because of his age, but because of how well of a dramatic performance that he gives without over or underacting in any of his scenes. He seemed to take his role with a very adult-like seriousness that translated into a lot of the movie's themes of innocence that are chased by the persistent and harsh reality that Jack and his mother are facing. The directing and cinematography in this film are beautiful. The film's intense theme is complimented with a variety of out-of- focus and close up shots that highlight the child's immediate consciousness as he takes the outside world with fresh- eyes. Many of the scenes are also complimented by a beautiful and breathtaking film score composed by the award-winning Stephen Rennicks who has been crafting soundtracks in the indie film world since 1997. Overall, this is a film that I won't be forgetting for the rest of my life. Mainly because it is a film about escaping outside of the room that you have been stuck in your whole life and discovering a world that has been hidden from you. I know that sounds kind of cheesy but this film does it in the most grounded and intense way possible. Not to mention that it is dosed with themes of abandonment, human-kindness, and media exploitation. I don't usually give films a 10/10. As a matter of fact, I could probably count the films this year that I do consider 10s on one hand. The films I consider perfect are life changing in some way or benchmarks in cinematic history. While this film will probably be washed away by the ever expanding ocean that is cinema, it is not a movie that I will be personally ever forgetting. I can't remember watching a film that made me feel so grateful for just being alive.

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. :')

Fails To Plumb The Subject's Depth

[Cinnyaste · 6/10 · 16 December 2015]

A poor kissing cousin to "Stockholm, Pennsylvania," "Room" is a backyard shed creating the world's limits to a kidnapped young woman and her by-the-adbductor son.

Snatched at seventeen, Joy (Brie Larson) is imprisoned for seven years by a standard, un-dimensional psycho holding the power of life and death over her. (Cross him in the least and there's no electricity or heat.) At the start, Joy's son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), is angry and semi-feral yet quite content following silly rules in the only world he knows. Their pointless days come to an end when Joy contrives Jack's death forcing the psycho to bury the allegedly dead child. Well-rehearsed, Jack escapes and the dominoes fall leading to their escape to a world that has passed by Joy and one in which Jack has zero knowledge (a first encounter with steps mystifies him).

Yellow ribbons and celebrations follow. With opposite effect. Joy's parents have divorced, high school chums have moved on. A formative slice of high school track star Joy's life is missing. Joy's biological dad harshly judges her; mom and daughter fight at the same level of a rebellious teen railing against parental control.

Due to his age, Jack is 'plastic', his societal integration much easier. Soon he's knocking around a ball with neighbor kid. But, a reporter's insensitive question causes Joy to break down which leads to a brief institutionalization. And she's released all better.

However, the treatment of an inherently dramatic subject matter of abduction and reintegration here falls short. The sunshine and rainbows, feel good ending, while moving, is mawkish. Everyone is healed and the horror of what was lived through for nearly a decade is forgotten. It is also a cheap device when children are wiser than adults. All these problems of the script.

The balance of the failure of this film rests squarely on Brie Larson's shoulders. Her portrayal, as others, is at arms length with the character and hit a wall keeping her from connecting with feelings. Many crow her portrayal is spectacular. For her it is. In the annals of effective acting it is middling. Therefore, this is her tour de force - by default.

"Stockholm, Pennsylvania" took the protagonist's story to a far more logical, satisfying and shocking conclusion. On the base, sensational end of the spectrum, TV's "Cleveland Abduction." Find "Room" between the two. Either a good movie-of-the-week or poor indie sidestepping, and in some ways trivializing, a horrific subject.

Watch "Stockholm, Pennsylvania" instead.

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.

Beautifully told but fundamentally flawed

[darren-153-890810 · 7/10 · 11 January 2016]

A beautifully told story through the eyes of a brilliant 5 year old. Such innocence beautifully portrayed.

Great performances, a good film. Nothing more.

I have a few issues with this film

1) Would the mother trust her child with a man who was willing to keep them captive for so many years?

2) How lucky, Old Nick put the rug on the right hand side of the truck, meaning Jack could roll out to the left as practiced.

3) Why would Old Nick just drop Jack like that?

4) It took all of 30 mins to locate both the room and Old Nick.

5) Surely wouldn't Jack & Ma have more psychology damage?

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.

A non-traditional thriller with another brilliant turn from Brie Larson but an even better one from Jacob Tremblay.

[joey-ziemniak · 11 October 2015]

Room is a harrowing thriller, but not in the traditional sense of the word. It deals with a dark subject matter and the first half of the film can be quite disturbing. Yet director Lenny Abrahamson (Frank) has adapted the best-selling novel with grace and grandeur. Here is a film so artistically unique and deviant, chock full of genuine emotion thanks to two outstanding performances, that isn't afraid to take risks and surprise at every turn.

Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, Room introduces us to Ma and Jack, a mother and son held captive in a garden shed. As we learn more about their captivity, their world becomes clearer and clearer to us. They live by a routine, have names for every object in room, and Ma must be careful as her son grows older and more curious.

The film is structured into two halves, and by now it's no spoiler that the second half deals with their readjustment into the outside world, and Jack's first time outside of room. The film is thematically complex, yet never overwhelming. At its core it's about motherhood, but Jack's unique upbringing complicates things.

Director Lenny Abrahamson is no stranger to the strange, and with Room he's made a masterpiece of filmmaking. The entire idea of 'room,' the abstract concept of space, is ever-present in the production. In their bubble of room, Ma and Jack are restricted, as evident by Abrahamson's close angles and tight shots. The small space allows for high concept filmmaking, and when they get out of room, it only gets better, with a new color palette and experimental camera angles through Jack's eyes. The entire film is seen through the eyes of this child, and it's genius. What I loved about the book was its focus on Jack and how he adjusts to seeing this new world for the first time, and the movie never loses sight of that.

I wrote about the pressure placed on child actors in my review for the incredible Beasts of No Nation, and Jacob Tremblay fits like a glove. Like Abraham Attah, he isn't a child actor, but an actor who just happens to be of a younger age. His wide eyes and expressive thoughts are very believable, and when he sees the outside world for the first time, it's a thing of beauty. Tremblay has brilliant chemistry with Brie Larson, and for one second I never doubted her devotion to him. As Ma faces frustrating upon leaving room, from her parents, doctors, and the media, she never forgets her son Jack, and always puts his wellbeing first. Larson taps into this character, one that undergoes a stunning transformation as she basically lost seven years of her life being locked up. Her performance will blow you away.

The best actors are the ones able to transport you into their characters' own universes, no matter how isolated from society they happen to be. Larson, Tremblay, and Joan Allen all have a tremendous range of emotional ability and are able to sell you on their story not just for two hours, but for an entire lifetime. With Room, Abrahamson goes the extra mile with his direction, and director of photography Danny Cohen keeps all eyes on Jack. The film asks us to examine how we view the world and how this viewpoint is shaped by our nurtured upbringing. The result is a breathtaking experience brought to life, one you won't soon forget.

(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.

Beautiful, moving, intense

[jamesthecat-67828 · 10/10 · 16 September 2016]

I haven't seen a genuinely emotional, smart, non-manipulative, heart- felt drama in a loooong time. Brie Larson deservedly won an Oscar for her performance in this, but Room should've swept the board in every category.

The film centres on a Mother and her five year old son, living inside just four walls, and it slowly transpires that she has been held captive for seven years, and had a child by her kidnapper. She creates a world for her son within their confines, not telling him the truth about their situation and what's outside until he's old enough to understand. After failed escape attempts in the past, but now with the help of her son, she gives freedom another try.

There were moments in Room that were so intense that I barely breathed. It never feels inauthentic, and thanks to incredible acting, it's always believable. If you want a straight-up thriller of 'bad guy commits crime, bad guy gets comeuppance', you'll be disappointed. This is about human resilience, the bond between Mother and child, selflessness, and finding your place in the world after having your understanding of it flipped upside down.

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.