"Room" may be one of the more intense films you end up seeing in recent times, but the story is so good and so well-acted that you should find your way to see this film.
The film is based from the book of the same name by Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue. The story starts out with Ma and Jack, who live against their will in a garden shed. Jack is about to turn 5 and Room is all he knows. Jack sees natural light only through a skylight in the garden shed.
They make do as best they can, but Ma knows that they need to find a way out, a way outside of Room.
Eventually, they make their way out of Room (this shouldn't be a spoiler by now) but what follows isn't what you might expect. The nightmares and uncertainty don't instantly disappear once they leave Room.
Though the story is difficult to absorb, the performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are reason enough to see this film. Tremblay, who is Canadian, is the protagonist of the story, even if the actor and character don't know all of what is going on in Room.
What we see, especially in Room, is not watered down. Their emotions are raw, but you want to see what goes on.
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As we noted last week, Larson and Tremblay received SAG nominations, while Larson, Donoghue, and "Room" received Golden Globe nominations. The Oscars will come calling soon.
Joan Allen and William H. Macy add depth and name recognition to the film. Though "Room" was filmed entirely in Canada, the film is set in Ohio.
Larson and Tremblay have an amazing chemistry, an intimacy that you don't see in many films. As disturbing as the conditions are in Room, the filmgoer gets rewarded with real emotions, good and bad, that are reward for sitting through uncomfortable situations.
You may or may not enjoy the film "Room," but you won't forget the experience for awhile. That is a sign of a well-made film, even with a tough story.
video credit: YouTube/A24
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