Great performances and moments of lyrical beauty halted by a stagnant 2nd Act

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2016)

With moments full of beautiful lyricism mixing with deep questions about the proper fallout from serious trauma, Room is a mostly successful turn of tiny cinema. It leaves a lasting mark in the obvious but very well done climax. But with what seems to be the theme of the year, what starts and ends strong stumbles along the way to that ending, often rambling itself into too much. Certainly, here would be a film that could have been just about the best 45 minute short anyone could ask for... But I'm not sure it works for me as a feature.
When it breaks into lyrical musings on Room, World, Space, etc. is when this film is at its most effective, memorable, and thought-provoking. This is probably in no small way a telling sign of the wonderful "book author adapts screenplay of her work" aspect. Without having read the book, I imagine those sections are lifted straight from the prose. If not, they felt like it, and it was a feeling of a fairy tale story that reminded me in some way of "Another Earth" in style that I longed for more from this film.
As far as the narrative goes... Based on the logline, I have to say that the whole plot played out just about how I imagined. There were no surprises for me, and I only felt that nagging me because it seemed like the direction was pushing this as 'shocking surprise.' But for me, it felt right into what I figured it would be.
The performances are of a very high-quality... But I found Brie Larson's character to be the supporting role here. It's a great performance, don't get me wrong... But it's not the knockout punch she gave in Short Term 12, nor is it the knockout punch I expected from the awards season hype machine. On the other hand... Jacob Tremblay gives one of the best performances of the year by ANYONE- regardless of age or gender. Here is one of the finest performances by a young actor I can recall. Goes right up there with Ms. Tatum O'Neill and Mr. Haley Joel Osment. It is truly a wonder... The power he holds in his eyes, in his understanding (or certainly the directors) of the confusion of the situation... It's the glue that holds the movie together. It is well worth the price of admission just to see this child light up the whole world.
After they break from room, the movie rambles and stumbles until the final scene. Again... a SHORT of this- around 45 minutes in run time... Would be perfect. I didn't feel enough holding my interest for a good hour after the escape. But all in all, this is one that I am very glad Hollywood made. Brie Larson is the future. I always enjoy her more than J-Law, and can't wait to see what she does next. Her maturity and focus is beautiful, and I'm definitely a fan.
Room asks big questions, and I am still thinking about what the answers are... I've always been fascinated by the feral experience, and this almost went there. I'd love if it had, but that would probably take away too much from that perfect, perfect performance by the actual lead of the movie, Jack.