Room

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2017)

A young mother with a son, Jack, lives in Room. It is literally that, a room with a bed, TV, sink, miniature stove, table, bathtub and a closet. They are seemingly a very loving little family with no other figure in their lives except for one person. This leads to questions which leads to further discovery of what is really going on with Room. I will leave this plot synopsis at that as I discovered this film without knowing nothing about the plot and was extremely grateful to see this uncovering what Room was.
Room is a movie that really surprised the world. Brie Larson took home the academy award for best actress in a leading role and rightfully so. Her performance is utterly breathtaking and a risk taker as you find out the situation she is in and admire that she has created this magical world for her son while she's in a deep depression and put through the ringer almost every night. The major shock is that her co-star Jacob Tremblay was not nominated as well as this is one of the best child performances I had ever seen on film. The interaction between the two is absolutely memorizing, giving the clear message of how love can heal a tragic situation. Jacob does not come off as too cute or too annoying, but as a normal child. He gets happy, gets scared and hides in his mother's arms, he gets angry and yells, gets frustrated and denies problems like a child would. Joan Allen gives a great performance as well as Brie's mother, conveying the love, confusion and frustration of how to handle something wonderful coming back into your life but under tragic circumstances. It truly is an actor's film and the casting director couldn't have had more spot on.
The direction is also very good, Lenny Abrahamson has this film almost 100% perfect. One of the things I really appreciated about Room is that it reminded me of what being a child is like. The first time we discover things and how your parents are your world. As you discover how large the world is, it feels like the knowledge is endless and you want to consume more and more. The scene where Jack sees the sky I will never forget and I couldn't stop crying that I had to pause the movie. So many things that we take for granted we see it through the eyes of a child and that's the best way to view things at times. Also through Brie's eyes as she comes back into the world after being gone and not feeling part of it as well. It shows truly how great the story was written and followed with a solid script.
The one flaw I found with the film, which is a nitpick, I would have had William H. Macy in it a little more. He plays Brie's father and does a very good job and the scene at the dinner table where he cannot even look at Jack and Brie just breaks down begging him to accept her son. He leaves and it's heartbreaking but also human and you can understand why as frustrating as you want him to stay and be there for his daughter. A small spoiler, Brie ends up in the hospital again, but he's not even mentioned. He seems like a loving father who genuinely wants his daughter in his life, wouldn't he be a least a mention as to why he's not there? It's a small nitpick, but a legit question.
Other than that, this is a terrific film and is my favorite of 2015. I highly recommend watching it without knowing too much about the plot as more is revealed, you get the true emotion the writer and director had intended you to connect with. It is a very emotional movie as well, I cried at least 3 times, so have a box of tissues ready.