As awards season really kicks into gear, there are few titles taking up as much speculative space as Room. Directed by Frank‘s Lenny Abrahamson, it is Emma Donoghue’s adaptation of her own 2010 novel. Taking its idea from the horrifying Josef Fritzl case, it is narrated by Jack, a young boy who has spent all his life in Room and turns five as the film begins. Room is not just where he lives; it is his life, with his only company being his mother Ma and a scant selection of possessions that he cheerily greets each morning. What is inside Room is real; everything else exists in his mind. A shadowy captor visits on occasion, and Ma forbids any contact between him and Jack. But with Jack growing up and time moving on, the pair must make some choices about the type of life they want to live.
Room is an emotional, dramatic film that has shaken audiences since its Telluride premiere in September. It won audience awards at Toronto and Vancouver (Canadians obviously big on kidnap dramas) and now the acting nominations are rightly starting to come in, for two compelling performances from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. It is worth seeing for their incredible chemistry alone, but there is much else to like. Check out the trailer and poster; this Film4 production is still showing across the US (distributed by the wonderful A24), and will be released in the UK on January 16th.
Also if you want a smile have a look at photos of Brie & Jacob on their various festival/press outings. The cutest thing to have happened, in films or otherwise, in 2015.
Depends On The Dream 