The world is immense, and there's not a single person out there who will ever be able to see the entirety of it in their lifetime - but what if that wasn't the case? What if the scope of your existence was entirely within the confines of single room, with no windows, and you had no knowledge of the outside world. Would it even occur to you to ponder the concepts of "inside" and "outside"? Would you ever know that you were missing something, or would you accept the world as it had been presented to you because you never realized that things could be any other way?
These are some of the questions raised by "Room", the Canadian film that won the People's Choice Award at this year's Toronto Film Festival. Based on the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, "Room" is the story of five year old Jack and his mother, who live together in a 10x10 foot room with only a small skylight providing any hint of a world outside. Jack has spent his entire life inside "Room", and as the film opens he exhibits some of the natural frustrations of a growing boy but seems otherwise well-adjusted: his Ma cooks for him, plays with him, leads him through exercise routines, talks to him, and answers his questions about life as he perceives it to be. Initially it's unclear why the two live as they do, but that mystery isn't at the forefront of the story. Rather, the fascination is in considering how they live that way, and how different the experience must be for one who has known a life outside and sees their situation as a confinement versus one who has no reason to wish matters were otherwise.
"Room" shifts gears during its second half, with more characters entering the picture, including Ma's parents, played by Joan Allen and William H. Macy. As the number of players expands "Room" settles into more conventional dramatic territory. It remains compelling, though not nearly as iconoclastic or likely to provoke philosophical musings.
While the film's reach and tone may not remain consistent throughout, what is uniformly strong - and in fact frequently astounding - is the acting on display in "Room". Both Brie Larson (Ma) and Jacob Tremblay (Jack) are already being discussed as possible Oscar nominees, and it's easy to see why. Their relationship is the cornerstone of "Room" and it's effortlessly realistic and natural, even within the unnatural circumstances of their characters' situation. Jacob Tremblay's portrayal of Jack evokes multiple layers of emotion at every turn, without any of the showiness or self-consciousness that can sometimes undermine performances by young actors. He is at turns ethereal and earthly, and in fact his depiction of Jack doesn't seem like a performance at all - it feels like he simply is the young boy whose life circumstances have shifted so suddenly and dramatically, and as viewers we have the privilege of observing him as he discovers the unimagined vastness of the outside world.
"Room" has the feel of an Oscar contender on several fronts, and it's a film that's likely to be talked about a great deal in the coming months. Whether it's a conversation about the film's intriguing elements - the setup of two strong characters together in that tiny space, and the acting that's likely to put an eight year old newcomer in an Oscar race against seasoned professionals - or a discourse on such weighty topics as mother/child bonding in the absence of social context or how we discern our place in a universe that we can't wholly observe - it's well worth seeing "Room" now to be sure you're part of the discussion.
| Movie title | Room |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2015 |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | "Room" uses limitations of space to explore vast philosophical questions about the nature of life, society, and family connections. |
