Both heart-breaking and life-affirming

Rating: 9/10 (28 June 2016)

Films are at their best when they uncover a profound truth of humanity. Last year, Inside Out demonstrated this with the role of sadness as an emotion in the human psyche. The Martian is about the role of human resourcefulness in surviving hostile conditions when others have lost hope. And here is Room, an absolutely wonderful film about a mother's love for her child and shielding them from the true horror even when in the most awful of predicaments.
It has to be said from the outset that it is not just a Fritzl film. It is not simply an exploitation film though that this clearly there in the background. That is not to say that the first half of the film is easy to watch. However, we are shielded from the worst of it much like how Jack is by his mother. For Ma, Room is a living hell but for Jack, "Room" is his whole world that goes in "every direction, all the way to the end".
As the trailer shows, the entire running time is not dedicated to the confines of the room but how the two- particularly Jack- cope in the real world. We see this strange new place often directly through the eyes of the young child and being able to hear his internal monologue was just so cute yet incredibly emotional.
The direction from Lenny Abrahamson is simply outstanding and the two central performances from Larson and Tremblay were perfect. As disturbing as it is at times, what a life-affirming film Room is.