An Emotional Journey Through The Eyes of a Child

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2016)

Right from the beginning of this film, the director establishes the theme of the movie by giving us extreme close-ups of Room, and narrating through the eyes of the boy named Jack. Jack takes us through his whole world, giving everything a name, and gives the audience complete view of the space in which Jack and his mother, Joy, live.
The points of view used this in this film are quite amazing. When the view is directly from Jack's point of view, you feel as if you are inside him. Especially when he is rolled up in the rug and Nick carries him out of the shed. He is seeing the "world" for the first time, and it makes you feel first as if you cannot breathe, and that you can actually feel the tightness of the rug wrapped around you. Then the awe and wonder that he feels when seeing the sky for the first time as he is lying in the back of the truck, and the sights and the sounds, makes you feel like you are seeing them for the first time. The music adds to this feeling. The awe and wonder is short lived, and replaced with a sudden and powerful fear that comes when Jack jumps out of the truck and Nick comes after him. The film then transitions from being in a very tight, routine driven, small world, into the "real" world, and the rest of the movie deals with how Joy and Jack adjust to this new life.
The psychological drama that unfolds during this part of the film is very deep and emotional. The struggles of both Joy and Jack adjusting to living in the world outside of Room become very real through their eyes. The dialog used throughout this second part of the movie is done very well, and the use of the close-up shots draw the audience right into the emotions that the characters are feeling. This is a roller coaster of emotions, from anger, to sadness, to wonder and absolute joy.
The acting in this film is absolutely superb. As a child actor, Jacob Tremblay, does an incredible job at conveying his feelings through his facial expressions. I have never seen a child as young as he is with that kind of ability. The relationship between mother and son in this film is intense and deeply moving. The chemistry between Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson is both believable and touching. In the end, the audience is left with the knowledge that there is much to be learned through the eyes of a child.