Incredibly raw performances, exquisite writing that feels real and authentic, and moments of real suspense are what you will witness when you view "Room," one of the year's best and most powerful films. In the film, Brie Larson plays Ma, a young woman who was kidnapped years ago and has been forced to live in a shed in the backyard of a man known as Old Nick ever since. Along the way, she had a child named Jack. He knows their imprisonment as "room." To him, "room" is the whole world. He does not know of anything else.
Without spoiling anything, Ma and Jack do end up escaping, and the challenges they face returning (and first entering) the real, outside world provide some of the most intense, riveting, and elegant scenes in a film I have seen in quite some time.
The film moves at a pace that allows the audience to experience Ma and Jack's struggles as if they were close friends. They become people we truly feel and care about, people we root for. We hope they will experience all of the gifts life has to offer without continually being cast away from the real world.
In a year of extraordinary performances given by women, Brie Larson's is the absolute best. She is the next big thing (watch out, Jennifer Lawrence). You almost have to wonder if Jack is her real son. That is how realistic and brutally honest her performance is. I have seen her give terrific performances in the painfully underrated Showtime series "United States of Tara" and this summer's hit "Trainwreck," but nothing she has done previously even comes close to her work in "Room." I am in awe of her. My only question is this: when will we see her next? I consider her a shoo-in to win the Best Actress Oscar this year.
Let's also give it up to Jacob Tremblay, a truly gifted young actor. There is a moment in the film where Jack sees the sky for the first time. The look on Tremblay's face is so powerful, it brought tears to my eyes. This kid has what it takes to deliver a solid, convincing performance. Expect great things from him in the future.
"Room" is not always the easiest film to watch, especially if you are a parent, which I am. It is so authentic and disturbing at times, yet it is so brilliant, you can't take your eyes off of it. It is one of the year's absolute best films, certainly in my top five as of 12/25/2015. Watch out for it at the Oscars.
Without spoiling anything, Ma and Jack do end up escaping, and the challenges they face returning (and first entering) the real, outside world provide some of the most intense, riveting, and elegant scenes in a film I have seen in quite some time.
The film moves at a pace that allows the audience to experience Ma and Jack's struggles as if they were close friends. They become people we truly feel and care about, people we root for. We hope they will experience all of the gifts life has to offer without continually being cast away from the real world.
In a year of extraordinary performances given by women, Brie Larson's is the absolute best. She is the next big thing (watch out, Jennifer Lawrence). You almost have to wonder if Jack is her real son. That is how realistic and brutally honest her performance is. I have seen her give terrific performances in the painfully underrated Showtime series "United States of Tara" and this summer's hit "Trainwreck," but nothing she has done previously even comes close to her work in "Room." I am in awe of her. My only question is this: when will we see her next? I consider her a shoo-in to win the Best Actress Oscar this year.
Let's also give it up to Jacob Tremblay, a truly gifted young actor. There is a moment in the film where Jack sees the sky for the first time. The look on Tremblay's face is so powerful, it brought tears to my eyes. This kid has what it takes to deliver a solid, convincing performance. Expect great things from him in the future.
"Room" is not always the easiest film to watch, especially if you are a parent, which I am. It is so authentic and disturbing at times, yet it is so brilliant, you can't take your eyes off of it. It is one of the year's absolute best films, certainly in my top five as of 12/25/2015. Watch out for it at the Oscars.