A Room with a View

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2016)

(Rating: ☆☆☆☆ out of 4)
This film is highly recommended.
In brief: Two wonderful performances make the film even more impressive.
GRADE: A-
Depending on your point of view, the world can be big and overwhelming or small and intimate. For the characters in Lenny Abrahamson's riveting film, Room, their personal experience is the sum total of a 11' x 11' area.
Ma and Jack have been held captive for many years. Although Ma knows the real-life details of their lives, Jack has been spared that harsh reality. Their day-to-day survival activities include storytelling time, games, and gazing out at the piece of sky through the shed's skylight. This claustrophobic house is Jack's world.
For most of Room, we are caught in the tiny confines of their room and the film makes this space an important character in itself. The director effectively uses Jack's voice-over narration and numerous close-ups of the everyday objects surrounding them to show their desperation in an isolated corner of the world. As they cling to some shred of hope and sanity, the psychological battle between captor and prisoners rages on. Jack lives in a world of naiveté and innocence. Ma tries to protect her son while still having the inner strength to carry on and shield him the awful truth.
But it is the love story between mother and child that resonates and makes this film so special. The screenplay by Emma Donoghue, based on her own novel, is concise and literate. She wisely allows the visuals to tell the narrative and focuses instead on the real-life dialog between the two main characters to establish their bond and hardships.
Foremost are the magnificent performances of Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay. Their chemistry together is remarkable. Ms. Larson delivers a strong and impassioned performance. Her role runs the range of emotions and the actress uses the quieter moments to convey the angst and anger that manifests within this courageous woman. Mr. Tremblay also is in full control as he fully registers the heart-breaking moments so naturally. He inhabits his part with such confidence and authority, delineating his character's moodiness and sense of wonder with such skill. Most adult actors should envy the intrinsic talent of this 6-year old. (That this young actor was somehow excluded for an Academy Award is enough evidence to question the voting process of the Academy.) Strong work is given by Joan Allen, William H. Macy, and Sean Bridgers in supporting roles as well.
The film does have some issues with time passages that remain murky and more clarity is still needed with some of the minor characters who seem more like plot devices than real characters. But those details are minor complaints. Room is excellent, a film that emotionally captivates its audience with its gripping story, sensitive direction, and top-notch performances.
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