Movies: Room

Usually, I post the trailers for movies featured here at Shangrila Towers.  All the ones for "Room" spoil the plot, though, so here's a clip from the film:

"Room" is about a young woman named Joy (Brie Larson) who has been kidnapped and trapped for years in a dilapidated, tiny shed. Her only companion in this prison is her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who was born in the room and was fathered by Joy's captor, an abusive man known only as "Old Nick." Joy does the best she can to give Jack a normal childhood, but conditions deteriorate after Old Nick loses his job. Can Joy and Jack escape the room? And even if they get out physically, will they ever recover mentally?

As you might suspect from the description, this is one of those movies that lives and dies by the performances of its leads, and thankfully, both Larson and Tremblay do fantastic work here. Joy and Jack display the entire range of human emotion - depression, happiness, anger, fear, and love - in a way that seldom feels cloying or artificial. The only thing that lets the actors down is the story, which makes some decisions I wouldn't (no spoilers), and which lacks any real structure.

Rating: 8/10