How does a woman explain to her child that there is an entire world outside his door, one which he may never see? This powerful concept is the premise behind 2015’s Room, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue. One of the most popular festival picks of the year, praise for its outstanding performances and psychological depth is not unfounded.
Brie Larson is Joy Newsome (or “Ma”), a woman who has been trapped (and sexually abused) in her captor’s locked backyard shed for the past seven years. Her five-year-old son Jack (played by newcomer Jacob Tremblay) was born in captivity and knows nothing of what lies beyond Room and their small television set. Joy tries to make life as comfortable as possible in their prison by teaching him how to read, exercise, and have fun with what they do have. But when Joy finds out their captor, Old Nick (played by an eerie Sean Bridgers), is about to lose his house, she knows she must get herself and Jack out of the shed and into the real world.
Both the novel and the film are told from the perspective of Jack, who manages to imbue the heartbreaking story with a child’s sense of magic. On paper, Donoghue’s choice to utilize his voice as that of the narrator gives the story a fairy-tale feeling, as if Jack and Ma were actually characters in a macabre retelling of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” His interpretation of captivity is what makes the story so engrossing, as the reader attempts to condense their own understanding of the world into 12-foot-square room. It is a study in child psychology as much as a meditation on what it means to be physically and mentally “free.”
In this year’s filmic adaptation, Larson is a revelation as “Ma.” Her performance may have been a bit overshadowed by that of Tremblay but as the adult lead, she carries the emotional heft of the film on her young shoulders. Because the movie is told from Jack’s point of view rather than Ma’s, we don’t get her perspective or narrative on the horrors around her – we must simply observe them in Larson’s spectacular performance.
Larson has proven she can depict the quiet strength of tortured characters with her under-appreciated performance in 2013’s Short Term 12. She brings a heartbreaking passion to an already intense character like Ma. However, Tremblay must be given his due credit as well. For such a young actor, he can carry believable emotion in his performance. He plays the overwhelmed little boy with a pleasing mix of precociousness and subdued fear, making the audience truly understand how resilient and observant children can be when put under extreme duress. Both leads are forerunners for this year’s awards season and they both deserve it.
The film making takes a backseat to the impeccable performances and crisp script – also penned by Donoghue. Room, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and produced via A24 Films and DirecTV, has the familiar air of an indie film, but its direction feels natural paired with such an intense story. Instead of shocking the audience with the horrors of Ma and Jack’s captivity, Room seeks compassion and understanding, letting us grow with the characters as they readjust to the world outside the garden shed. It makes viewers look at the world they take for granted in a new and unblemished light.
Room
Psychological Thriller
Back Bay Books
September 13, 2010
336
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.
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