Movie Review: Room (2015) is a cinematic gem

While scrolling through Netflix late last night, in search of a movie to watch I stumbled across this film and decided to give it a try. I had never heard of it before and didn't have any expectations, so you can only imagine the pleasant shock I had at how immersive and captivating it turned out to be.

Held captive in a small garden shed for years by a man they refer to as "Old Nick", a young woman (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) who was born in captivity finally escape what they called "room", allowing the boy to experience everything the outside world has to offer for the first time.

The immersive acting is one of the strongest parts of this film. Both leading actors did a phenomenal job expressing emotion and making the viewer genuinely care about the characters and story. Their chemistry both with each other and the supporting cast is outstanding and I find their performances to be most compelling when they are acting opposite to each other.

Brie Larson gave one of her best performances of her career as Joy Newsome or "Ma" which won her the well-deserved Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her depiction of a protective mother and a woman experiencing the world after years of trauma and seclusion felt so raw and real.

Jacob Tremblay is a seriously talented actor. He gave one of the best child acting performances I've seen in a long time. Even at such a young age Jacob did an amazing job portraying a boy experiencing the world for the first time. Jack's innocent outlook on life even with everything he has been through is touching and forces us as the viewer to think about and question our own outlook on life.

Director Lenny Abrahamson did an extraordinary job adapting the novel it was based off of which was written by screenwriter Emma Donogue. I loved how this film translated onto the big screen. Abrahamson found the right balance between thriller, drama, and even occasional comedy. He achieved a tone that allows emotional depth. Room did a great job building tension in the first half and keeping the intensity after the climax for the rest of the film.

Being able to keep the viewers interest without a change in setting can be a very hard task. Room takes this obstacle and uses it as one of the many strengths of the movie. Seeing the characters find creative, new ways to make the most of their confinement was very entertaining and compelling to watch.

The director's choice to show the movie through the eyes of Jack as he navigates the world and all the knowledge that comes with it is such a smart, innovative idea. As a viewer, it gave me a different perspective seeing the story progress from a young, innocent point of view rather than the more realistic, dark perspective of Joy Newsome. Room would be a completely different film if the perspective was from any other character.

Since the movie is from Jack's perspective, we as a viewer miss out on interactions between Joy and Old Nick and key background information on the kidnapping. I think the addition of these scenes would have been a positive but I understand why it was chosen to be left out.

Room truly is a beautiful, emotional rollercoaster of a film about a strong bond between a mother and son through tragedy and trauma. This spectacular movie was heart-felt from start to finish and made me glad I found this film in the first place.