‘Room’ DVD Review: Wows With Outstanding Performances By Brie Larson And Jacob Tremblay

Room is a film where you are not sure whether to cry or smile with moments that are heart wrenching and many heartwarming.

Based off the novel, Room by Emma Donoghue, tells the story of Joy “Ma” (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) who have been held captive for seven years in a shed. Larson’s role as Ma earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Jack has long raggedy hair that can fit into a ponytail and Joy is emotionally and physically damaged.

To Jack, room is the only thing he knows. He treats inanimate items as if they were people when he says hello and good morning to simple things like the sink and the wardrobe.

Jack finds a mouse in the room and instead of it being a disgusting moment, it’s special. Jack is in awe. As viewers, we realize that Jack has never seen a real animal before, the only one he knows of his imaginary dog, Lucky. Imagination is all he has since he knows nothing of the real world and the differences between what’s real and what’s not. He only knows his room and the television.

Jack is curious like any other young child. He wants to know where we go for dreams and why aliens don’t respond to us.

Joy’s kidnapper Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) is abusive to Joy. Whenever he comes to visit, Jack must stay in the wardrobe because she’s worried he will hurt Jack, their own child.

Joy comes up with an elaborate idea to trick Old Nick. After her first idea fails, she practices with Jack to play dead and wraps him up in a rug to later escape.

The characters are so beautifully played on both Tremblay and Larson’s part. The execution from Tremblay and Larson makes the bravery from Jack and the strength from Ma so compelling.

Even after their small family leaves room, we notice it is still a part of them and it’s hard for Jack to let go from the only thing he has known in life.

One of the most special scenes in the film is when Jack gets to meet a dog for the first time. He has the biggest smile making it impossible not to bring a smile to your face.

DVD Extras: “Making Room” highlights the importance of the author and director coexisting in the process. Donoghue knew that Director Lenny Abrahamson was the one. Abrahamson talked about how they had to make careful choices turning the novel into film where they “had to be protective of the novel in the right way, of its essence and its truthfulness and its beauty.”

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