Room (2015 film)

Room

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
Produced by
Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
Based on Room 
by Emma Donoghue
Starring
Music by Stephen Rennicks
Cinematography Danny Cohen
Edited by Nathan Nugent
Production
companies
Distributed by A24
Release dates
  • September 4, 2015 (2015-09-04) (Telluride)
  • October 16, 2015 (2015-10-16) (United States)
Running time
 118 minutes[1]
Country
  • Canada
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
Language English
Budget $13 million[2]
Box office $35.4 million[3]

Room is a 2015 Canadian-Irish[4] independent drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her novel of the same name. The film stars Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, and William H. Macy. Held captive for seven years in an enclosed space, a woman (Larson) and her 5-year-old son (Tremblay) finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

Room premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2015 and had a limited release in the United States on October 16, 2015, to acclaim from critics. Larson won multiple awards for her performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. Room also received three other Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Plot

In Akron, Ohio, 24-year-old Joy and her five-year-old son Jack live in a squalid shed they call Room. They share a bed, toilet, bathtub, television, and rudimentary kitchen; the only window is a skylight, all of which Jack calls by name, as if they were living. They are captives of a man they call Old Nick, Jack's biological father, who abducted Joy seven years prior, and routinely rapes her while Jack sleeps in the closet. She tries to stay optimistic for her son, but is suffering malnutrition and is sometimes overcome with depression. She allows Jack to believe that only Room and its contents are "real," and that the rest of the world exists only on television.

Old Nick tells Joy that he lost his job and threatens he may not be able to afford their supplies in the future. When Joy reacts badly, he cuts their heat and power. Joy decides to tell Jack about the outside world; he reacts with disbelief and incomprehension, but also curiosity. She has Jack fake a fever, hoping that Old Nick will take him to a hospital where he can escape, but Old Nick says he will return the following day with antibiotics.

Joy wraps Jack in carpet and has him play dead in the hope that Old Nick will remove him from Room. Falling for the ruse, Old Nick places Jack in the back of his pickup truck and drives through a residential neighborhood. Although stunned by his first exposure to the outside world, Jack jumps from the truck and attracts the attention of a passer-by. The police arrive and rescue him. Joy is rescued, Old Nick is arrested, and Joy and Jack are taken to a hospital.

Reunited with her family, Joy learns her parents have divorced and that her mother has a new partner, Leo. She returns with Jack to her childhood home where her mother and Leo reside. Her father cannot accept Jack and leaves. Jack struggles to adjust to life in the larger world, speaking only to his mother and expressing a desire to return to Room. Joy struggles with anger and depression, lashing out at her mother and ignoring doctor's appointments. She agrees to a television interview, but becomes angry when the interviewer questions her decision to keep Jack after his birth. Overwhelmed with guilt, she attempts suicide; Jack finds her unconscious in the bathroom, and she is admitted to a hospital.

Jack begins to settle into his new life. He bonds with his new family and Leo's dog Seamus, and makes friends with a boy his age. Believing his long hair will give Joy the strength she needs to recover, Jack has his grandmother cut it for him so he can send it to her. Joy returns home and apologizes, thanking Jack for saving her life again.

At Jack's request, they visit Room one last time, escorted by police. Jack is confused; their possessions have been removed for evidence, and he feels it has shrunk, and that it is a different place with the door open. Joy asks Jack if he wants her to shut the door, but he says no. He and Joy say their goodbyes to Room and leave.

Cast

Pre-production

Emma Donoghue wrote the screenplay for the film before the Room novel was published. The role of Ma's mother Nancy was expanded after Joan Allen was cast. Emma Watson, Rooney Mara, and Shailene Woodley were all considered for the role of Joy. An associate of Lenny Abrahamson suggested that he see Brie Larson in Short Term 12.

Production

Principal photography began on November 10, 2014 in Toronto[5] and ended on December 15, 2014.[6] For her role as Joy, Larson consulted with a trauma expert and a nutritionist.[7] She said she saw the film less as a crime story and more of "a story of love and freedom and perseverance and what it feels like to grow up and become your own person".[7]

Release

Prior to production on the film, A24 acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.[8] The film had its world premiere on September 4, 2015, at the Telluride Film Festival.[9] It went onto screen in the Special Presentations section at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[10] and at the London Film Festival, on October 11, 2015.[11] The film began a limited release on October 16, 2015.[12] The film went into wide release on January 22, 2016.[13] The film was released in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2016, by Studio Canal.[14]

Box office

As of February 28, 2016, Room has grossed an estimated $13.5 million in North America and $8.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $22 million worldwide.[3]

Critical reception

Brie Larson's performance as Joy 'Ma' Newsome received widespread acclaim and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 93%, based on 245 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Led by incredible work from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Room makes for an unforgettably harrowing – and undeniably rewarding – experience."[15] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]

Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Overall, it’s a decent shot at a tall target, but real credit is due the lead actors, with Larson expanding beyond the already considerable range she’s previously shown with an exceedingly dimensional performance in a role that calls for running the gamut, and Tremblay always convincing without ever becoming cloying."[17] Eric Kohn of Indiewire stated, "Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay['s]... textured performances turn outrageous circumstances into a tense and surprisingly credible survival tale."[18] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "the most impressive piece of filmmaking I've seen in 2015, and one of the best movies of the decade."[19]

The central performances of Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay have received critical acclaim. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal noted that "this drama is as big as all outdoors in scope; poetic and profound in its exploration of the senses; blessed with two transcendent performances, by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay; and as elegantly wrought as any film that has come our way in a very long while."[20] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "All you need to know is that the performances of Larson and Tremblay will blow you away. Tremblay is a child actor incapable of a false move. And Larson, so good in Short Term 12, is magnificent, finding a way into Joy's bruised psyche that tears at your heart."[21]

Kyle Smith of the New York Post wrote "The script [...] doesn’t illuminate what kind of internal damage might be wrought by being held prisoner for seven years: On-screen it simply looks like Joy has a case of the sads."[22]

Home media

Room was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on March 1, 2016.[23]

Accolades

Room has received many awards and nominations. Brie Larson's performance in particular has been singled out for awards, with the National Board of Review, Chicago Film Critics, and various other film critic organizations awarding her Best Actress. Larson has also won several major awards, including the Academy Award, Critic's Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. Emma Donoghue's screenplay and Jacob Tremblay's performance have also received awards' attention. The film received four nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, with Larson winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. It also won 9 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress for Larson.

Room was named one of the best films of 2015 by over 60 critics and publications.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "ROOM". British Board of Film Classification. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ "With indie films such as 'Brooklyn' and 'Room,' the creativity often begins with the financing". Los Angeles Times. December 29, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Room (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Room (2015) - IMDb". Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave (November 10, 2014). "AFM: William H. Macy, Joan Allen Join Brie Larson’s ‘Room’". variety.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ "On The Set, - Box Office ... Abrams Wraps 'The Cellar', Tom Hiddleston Finishes 'I Saw the Light' & More". ssninsider.com. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Bramesco, Charles. "Brie Larson on why Room is more "lovely" than "harrowing"". AVClub. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (May 18, 2014). "Cannes: Brie Larson Drama 'Room' Goes to A24 Films". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lenny Abrahamson’s ROOM to have world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival". Elementpictures.ie. September 4, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Toronto to open with 'Demolition'; world premieres for 'Trumbo', 'The Program'". ScreenDaily. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Room". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (29 July 2015). "Brie Larson’s ‘Room’ Set for Oct 16 Release." Variety.com. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 18, 2016). "‘Ride Along 2’ Continues No. 1 Journey With $41.5M; ‘13 Hours’ Clocks $19.65M – Monday Update". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ Maddison, Elizabeth (December 2, 2015). "ROOM – Official UK Trailer – In Cinemas January 15". RedCarpet.TV. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Room (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Room Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (September 4, 2015). "'Room': Telluride Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  18. ↑ Kohn, Eric (September 4, 2015). "Telluride Review: Brie Larson is a Revelation Alongside Stunning Newcomer Jacob Tremblay in 'Room'". Indiewire. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Room". Room the Movie. Room. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Morgenstern, Joe. "‘Room’: Downsized Space, Vibrant Life". The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Travers, Peter. "Room". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "In ‘Room,’ Brie Larson tries to win a no-makeup Oscar". The New York Post. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "Room DVD and Blu-ray". releases.com. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  24. ↑ "Best of 2015: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved February 12, 2016.

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