Absolutely captivating and remarkably uplifting

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2016)

The premise, a mid thirties woman held captive in a single roomed windowless garden shed for seven years, molested by her captor resulting in a pregnancy, and the resultant son living his entire five years of life in the shed, is not encouraging.
But Brie Larson as Ma and Jacob Tremblay as Jack have to be seen to be believed. They are so good you forget they are actors. The other roles are competently supporting, and serve to focus one's attention on Ma and Jack. The storyline unfolds with unpredictable twists and turns, but the emotion it finds in virtually everyone who has seen this film I've spoken to make it one of the best cinema experiences of the year.