Room

Emma Donoghue's award winning Room has finally been adapted for film! The 2010 novel won over critics and global readers for it's unusual yet captivating plot told from the perspective of young Jack, a boy born in captivity. Jack and Ma live in the claustrophobic confinement of 'Room' until Ma is able to convince their captor, Old Nick, that Jack is deathly ill. A close escape follows and Jack is able to lead the police back to his mother and the two are freed. From this point onwards, the story focuses on recovery and is quite overwhelming.

The film adaptation follows the novel's storyline nearly exactly, which is to be expected considering Donoghue was the film's screenwriter. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson, the films aesthetics clearly captured Donoghue's vision and her intentions for the visual representation of her world. Abrahamson's previous works are similarly groundbreaking with the focus being primarily independent film. Other than his film Frank, with writers Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, Room is likely to be his biggest success due to it's existing following since the release of the book.

Starring Brie Larson as Joy 'Ma' Newsome and Jacob Tremblay as Jack, Room has some of the best performances I've seen in some time. Larson in particular is compelling in her role. She truly encapsulates the frustration of the character both inside and outside of 'Room'. In particular, her interactions with Jack are challenging yet confirming in order to help him develop within such a small space. Larson seemed stretched at times when trying to accurately portray the mental struggle of her character, yet prevailed in becoming one of the strongest performances within the film. Her ability to portray such pain and helplessness will no doubt serve her well as she moves on to new productions in 2016.

As for Jacob Tremblay - such a young talent that I'm sure will continue to blossom. Not only has this young actor taken on an incredibly challenging role but is also taking on a role that has been established for the last five years by a top selling novel. Absolutely the shining beacon of light within this film, Tremblay was one hundred percent committed to his role. His interpretation of Jack was hard to watch at times as we witness him grow separately from his mother after they are freed from captivity. To take on the role of a character who has never known the world that Tremblay himself lives in, is challenging. But his performance was everything it needed to be. His soft facial features combined with the soft spoken nature of his character was a wonderful match. He was realistic in his portrayal and didn't overact the part which lead to a seamless transition between pre-world Jack and post-world Jack. 

There is no surprise that this film is gaining the attention of film critics and film lovers worldwide. With a Golden Globe already won, Room is hopefully going to collect a few more accolades as the 2016 award season continues.