Room

4 out of 4 Stars

Lenny Abrahamson's new film, Room, is a harrowing, intense, and stunning tale of survival. Brie Larson plays Joy, a woman who lives in a confined space with her 5 year old son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay). After spending over seven years in the confined space, known only as "Room", Jack helps his mother escape. Throughout the film, we see and hear Jack narrate his interpretation of the world in the room. It isn't until he escapes that he experiences the real world with new eyes and sees the toll it takes on Joy when she reunites with her parents (Joan Allen and William H. Macy). 

 Jacob Tremblay is incredible as Jack; he gives a naturalistic and moving performance that cuts deep into this tale of sorrow and hope. Brie Larson gives a career defining performance as Joy. Like Jack, she is a survivor who treads between vulnerability and perseverance when confronting her past. Joan Allen gives one of her best performances in years as Joy's mother as she tries to heal the wounds she and her daughter have endured since her disappearance. 

Abrahamson, who directed last year's quirky and moving Frank goes deeper into the psyche of isolated people and how they try to adapt to a new world. His collaboration with cinematographer, Danny Cohen, is ingenious as the camera exemplifies the state of confinement Jack and Joy endure similar to Catherine Deneuve's experiences in Polanski's Repulsion. As Jack's perspective of the outside world grows, the camera captures more of an expansive view of the world. 

Room is difficult to watch without breaking out a few tissues. Not since Beasts of the Southern Wild has there been a film that has captured a child's perspective of the harshness and beauty of the world. This is, by far, one if the most endearing films of the year.