I think you know you’re in trouble when you get sent a film which had been lauded from one corner of the land to the next, has won an Oscar, plus ninety-seven, yes, ninety-seven other awards as well as being nominated for a further ridiculous one hundred and eighteen and all you can think is that it’s a rather annoying experience.

Room (2015 ) is a drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson who also made the wonderful Frank (2014) which I did love.

There is no way in discussing the film without it containing spoilers, given its structure.

In the First half of the film we meet Ma, played by Brie Larson. Ma has been held as a sexual captive by Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) for the past several years, by this time her family have presumed her dead. In her time as a captive Ma has given birth to Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who in his five years of life has only know the 11 x 11 foot space that is their world, their room. They can see the outside world via the skylight, but as it is limited to a small patch of sky it reveals little of the real world.

In the Room, Ma attempts to create a whole universe for Jack to mentally inhabit, as well as telling him about the outside world. This portion is touching as well as a bit creepy when Old Nick comes avisiting, and this is where I first started to have those niggles under the skin which ultimately spoil the whole thing. Ma tells Jack that they cannot attack Old Nick as the door is secured with a number lock. That logic only goes a small distance as there are two of them, why can she not smack him over the head while Jack shoves something in the door. Secondly, they have a skylight, honestly in seven years has she not been able to dismantle the thing.

Anyhoo, through an unlikely and preposterous method Ma gets Jack out of the house, Old Nick nearly catches him but not before a concerned passer-by makes him run away for no convincing reason. Luckily for Jack, he meets a surprisingly insightful female police officer who, rather than take him as a surly child decides that there is something foul afoot, when Jack remembers that the car he was travelling in slowed down three times the police find the house with an ability which borders on magic.

The second part of the film has Ma and Jack reunited with Ma’s family, some of whom accept jack and some like her father, played by, the ever excellent, William H. Macy who find it more problematic.

The performances were flawless and had I been a less picky person it could have been quite moving, but the preposterous lack of escape and then the unrealistic finding of the house just kept niggling.

You get two audio options, both a 2.0 stereo and a DD 5.1, to be honest the 2.0 is good enough to pick up the quiet tones of the dialogue. You also get an English audio description and English subs.

The disc does well for extras with a full length commentary from Lenny Abrahamson and Danny Cohen, who should get an extra acknowledgement for being able to show the passage of time in such a small space. You also get Nathan Nugent and Ethan Tobman, together they give a pretty comprehensive look at the film.

There are a number of small features, 11 x 11 (8 min, 11 sec) stands in for a making of. Making Room (11 min, 33 sec) looks at the transition from book to film. Emma’s Corner (4 min, 42 sec) and we spend time with the writer of the book who also produced the screenplay.

Brie Larson on Becoming Ma (1 min, 28 sec) looks at the actress becoming the character. Jacob Tremblay: The Discovery (1 min, 42 sec) spends some time with the actor who plays Jack. Emma Donoghue on adapting the Novel (1 min, 56 sec) is self-explanatory and lastly Brie and Jacob – an Unbreakable Bond (1 min, 53 sec) looks at the relationship between the two actors.

Ok, it’s a good film, which is not above emotionally blackmailing its audience, but maybe not for someone hard hearted and picky.

8

Charles Packer