Room (2015)

“You're gonna love it.”

“What?”

“The world.”

            As we grow and become aware of the world we learn it is a scary place. Wars, violence, corruption, rape, kidnappings, gangs, bad people, etc. I have been fortunate enough all my life to have lived in a nice town and a nice neighborhood where violence and bad things are minimal. For as long as I live I will never forget the day when my parents put some fear into me about being out at night. I was a teenager working at the local mall. I would work closing hours at Old Navy and would not get out until after 11pm some nights. Sometimes I would have to park far away from where the employees exited the store. When I worked my first night shift my dad told me not to leave without anyone else and to have my key out between my fingers in case someone were to grab me I could punch them with the key as well as my fist. I realized then that the idea of kidnapping was extremely scary. When I think about it now it makes me shudder with fear. I never walk alone outside at night without someone. If I come back late at night from somewhere I run the few feet from my parking space to my house. Some nights there may not be spots in the parking lot across the street and I have to park down a hill. That freaks me out so bad because there are trees across the street from the parking spots down the hill and I am always afraid someone is in those tree waiting to grab me. I run like hell to my house when I have to park down the hill at night.

            I was hesitant to see the movie Room because it does deal with a woman who had been kidnapped when she was a teenager and forced to live in a shed where she could not escape. That is one of my worst nightmares and I am sure I am not the only one who feels the same way.

            The story is told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack Newsome. He lives in a shed with his “Ma” Joy Newsome (Brie Larson). Jack has known nothing but the room he is confined to for his five years of life. Every morning he wakes up and says hello to everything in the room. Ma makes him breakfast, they watch TV, she makes sure he exercises, and other things. Ma and Jack are being kept in the room by a man simply referred to “Old Nick.” Joy always makes Jack hide in the closet for the night whenever Old Nick comes to the shed. She will not let Nick touch Jack.

            Joy tries to tell Jack the truth about the outside world and he freaks out on her. He yells at he that she is a liar. The poor kid has no concept of anything but the room. After this spat, Joy decides it is time for them to be free of the room and Old Nick. Joy tries to make that Jack is sick so that Old Nick will take him to a doctor. She wants Jack to tell the doctors who he is and who is mom is. Old Nick refuses to take Jack to the doctor when Joy tells him Jack is sick. She comes up with another plan to have it appear Jack died in the middle of the night from his fever. She has Jack practice being rolled up in a rug and have Old Nick take it away.

            The plan works and Old Nick puts the rug with Jack very much alive in it. Jack is to jump out as soon as he can and run and yell for help. He does so but he waits too long to jump out and Old Nick sees him. Fortunately, there was someone out walking their dog and saw everything going on. Nick leaves Jack with the man and rides away. The police come and they figure out where he is from and are able to save Joy as well.

            Adjusting to the outside life is very difficult for both mother and son. Jack is socially awkward and shy around people and will not let Joy out of his site. Joy has issues of her own when people start questioning her about her time in the room and having Jack.

            Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay were incredible. Larson completely, 100 percent deserved her Academy Award for this role. You could feel all her anger and sadness and happiness and want. You can just see her tremendous talent in every one of her scenes. Tremblay seems like an old soul. It is as if he is an experienced actor beyond his years. Both Larson and Tremblay are tremendous acting talents. I am so looking forward to seeing them in future movies.

            Room is a good movie. I say good and not excellent only because it felt slow and the story was nothing to really write home about. I could be saying the story really is not that great because I found it unsettling and not in the very good way. I felt so awful and so sad for Joy and even worse for her parents. One of the reasons I am so terrified of being kidnapped is because I think of my parents and family and how devastated they would become. What makes Room a movie that needs to be seen is the acting. Besides Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay the rest of the cast is great.  Room is worth watching at least once for the cast.