One of our top 15 of 2015 (it’s actually in our top 3!) has come home on DVD and Blu-Ray and you have to make room for it in your collection, pun intended. Room is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray and not only does it showcase the Oscar winning Best Actress in Brie Larson with her stunning, haunting and emotionally charged performance, but it will also serve as the film that introduced us to the supreme talent that is Jacob Tremblay.
Lenny Abrahamson scored an Oscar nomination for Best Director in his stunning bringing of Emma Donoghue book to life. It sure helped that the author penned the screenplay because it pulsates with the power that her novel does and no one could have brought it to life better than Abrahamson. What he did with an 11 by 11 room of the title is remarkable.
Larson stars as Ma, a fiercely protective mother of Jack (Tremblay). She has been confined to Room for seven years and five years ago, she welcomed her little boy into the world. Her captor is the father and he provides only the bare necessities in life. To say they live in squalor is an understatement.
Through Jack’s entire life, Ma has established that Room is the entire world. Nothing exists outside of their confinement, and therefore, Jack doesn’t really miss anything. It has been invaluable to his existence and kept him sane, grounded, and somewhat of a normal little boy.
But, as Ma and Jack celebrate his fifth birthday, she realizes something. She needs to reeducate her son if she is to have any chance of breaking the chains that bond them to Room. Slowly, but surely, Ma informs Jack about the world outside and his reaction… to put it mildly, is horror meets disillusionment.
Room masterfully tells this tale that is at its core is about a mother’s love for her child. It explores that unwavering love and unparalleled desire to keep your child safe and how that can be challenged if the four walls that surround you are in fact anything but benign. It also asks the question, “What if that scary world out there is in fact the exact place you need to go to become safe?”
Room is a lesson in finding freedom, and what exactly that word means. Sometimes when the chains are removed, people can still be tied to the past.
The all-star cast shines, beyond just Larson and Tremblay. Joan Allen and William H. Macy star as Ma’s parents. Ma and Jack are far from the only two people who are forever changed by the Larson character’s disappearance.
Making Room is a twelve-minute behind-the-scenes look at the crafting of this powerful motion picture. It features some pretty keen insight into the process of diving into the unthinkable world of Room from the stars and filmmakers of the stellar story. Although fascinating and a don’t-miss, we actually recommend witnessing the film a second time and turning on the audio commentary with Abrahamson, cinematographer Danny Cohen, Editor Nathan Nugent and production designer Ethan Tobman.
It is a powerful track that brings insight into the filming of the movie, but so much more. The commentary track adds layers of emotion to the film, if you can believe that. The viewer gets into the psychological makeup of making the film as few audio commentary tracks have prior. It is truly a remarkable addition to the Room experience.
Having the production designer on that commentary track is just one facet of how the look and feel of Room as made to come alive. After all, the title of the film means so much more than a simple moniker in this case. 11×11 delves ever deeper into the relationship between Ma and Jack and the set design of the room itself. As Jack awakes each day, he says “hello” to the littlest things in the room, and as he heads towards bed, he also says “goodnight.” It’s a nice touch in the film and it has even more power after witnessing 11×11.
Film: A+
Bonus Features: A