Unconditional Helsinki Syndrome......

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2016)

Jack is a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his mother, Ma, who dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things 5-year-olds like to do.
Their life, however, is anything but. They are confined to a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space that Ma has named Room. She has created a whole universe for Jack, and will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in their situation, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life.
But as Jack's curiosity grows, and Ma's resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet, the world outside.......
Depending on who's point of view you see the film from, Room has two different connotations. From the point of View of Ma, it begins as a prison drama, her and Jack being held captive against their will, and Ma being subject to abusive on an almost nightly basis. And then there's the road to freedom, enlightenment, and finally, subjection and coming to terms with the years that she lost, the most important years of her life, and in turn, beginning to resent Jack for being the creation of her imprisonment.
From the View of Jack, it begins as normality to him, he and Ma are the only people in the world, apart from the man who visits every night while he is in his 'room', the wardrobe. His life here is the norm, being born with a built in Helsinki Syndrome helps the falseness of his world, and the love from his mother is unconditional, likens other Mothers love.
So when he finally leaves his world, he is subject to a whole new world, an unsettling domain where he is made to wear a mask and sunglasses as he will be vulnerable to a host of new germs.
And no just that, new emotions are abound, such as Ma acting differently, not the always there person he is used to, but someone who is distant and weary.
Plus the fact that there are a host of new people he meets, who react differently, not forgetting the fact that they haven't seen Ma in an age, relief turns to anger, turns to guilt, turns to neglect.
It's a fascinating movie, heart breaking in one sense, and forfilling at the same time, because not only can Jack start his new life, Ma has to grieve her lost life, so an element of jealousy can be seen in some scenes.
Larson is wonderful as Ma, showing so many emotions in such a short time, it won't be surprising is she wins every award this season.
Tremblay is a major force in this film, putting in one of the best child performance I've seen in while. Here's to a wonderful career ahead.
But the film belongs to Macy. There is one scene at the dinner table that is so devastating, so sad, Grandpa denying his own Grandsons existence, and uttering a syllable,Mis both should destroying and the core of the film.
Jack isn't to blame for anything, he was just created amongst the chaos, he is the blessing, and to see a world full of hate form the view of a five year old, especially when your free, you would long for that one final visit to the room.
An exceptional movie.