Unknown's Movie Review of Room (2015)

Mother's Love Conquers All
Unknown - wrote on 01/20/16

'Room' is a tremendous moving story about the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child. The premise involves a teenage girl being held captive in a single room for seven years and bearing a child from her captor during that time. Normally this would be the setup for a dark thriller, but here the focus is entirely on the loving nature between Ma and her five-year-old son, Jack. Ma creates an entire living, breathing world for him in this small room through sheer passion and imagination. She does everything possible to raise him in the most positive light; attempting to give him the closest thing to a happy childhood that one could manage under the circumstances. All of it is told from little Jack's perspective (complete with his narration). This is both heartbreaking and unbelievably beautiful to witness. Their experience is so raw, so real, and so tenderly special. Larson and Tremblay are the epitome of perfection in these roles. Their eventual escape is made all the more harrowing because we feel so deeply for them. Jack traverses into the unknown real world for the very first time to save them, thanks to the courage that Ma instills within him. Seeing this through his eyes reminds us how wonderful our world is and how we take all of it for granted. His introduction to life as we know it becomes a sweet journey of discovery, while Ma's return is a hard transition. Her home life is radically different than before her abduction. The varying reactions from her family are crushing. Not to mention, the media is a constant presence. The heartbreak continues for Ma, but Jack is there to save her once more by caring for her much the way she did for him inside Room. I'm almost teared up again just writing about this movie. It affected me emotionally more than any film I've ever seen. It takes you to the deepest lows only to triumph with hope born out of true love. This is a life-affirming story told in the most human fashion. Having been raised solely by my mother, I saw blatant parallels to my own experiences in life. Ma says certain lines about caring for Jack despite the terrible situation, and saying that he has no father and that she is all Jack needs. Hearing those words broke me up inside. I realized at that moment how much my own mother truly means to me and I was upset that I never told her. Watching this movie was more than a great entertaining, dramatic, and emotionally satifying journey, it was also a much needed healing experience for me personally. THAT is the true power of cinema! 'Room' is more than the best written, directed, and acted film I saw in 2015... it's one of the absolute best films I will ever see in my life. I will always cherish the lessons of this movie. 'Room' is THE definition of perfection.