Cinema Review: Room | Under the Radar

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Room

Studio: A24
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson

Nov 09, 2015 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

Jack has lived all five years of his life with his mother in Room, a small confinement where they eat, sleep, bathe, and invent Room-specific games. He’s never had a haircut and only just tasted birthday cake, courtesy of a mysterious visitor who enters Room every night and locks the door every time he leaves. The only other bits of evidence of life outside Room: a television and a skylight. Although the idea of an outside world is beyond Jack’s comprehension, his curiosity grows and he slowly realizes certain truths—and that their nightly visitor means no good.

Room is a tender observation of a mother/son relationship masquerading as a suspense film. Though a great one at that, the acute details in the writing and performances give it resonance. Brie Larson and Jacob Trembley feel like a mother and son and will garner loads of attention in the coming months, but so should the underutilized Joan Allen, whose balance of strength, vulnerability, and compassion weathers a tricky third act that somehow eclipses its brilliant start.

www.a24films.com