'Room' is an astonishing film. The story is engrossing, but it works because it avoids the issues inherent in adapting material this dark. Anything with characters who experience kidnapping, rape & PTSD (among other horrors) is sure to be emotional, but the actors and filmmakers handle them appropriately without wallowing in despair. They kept a tight grip on my emotions from almost the first shot, but because the emotional releases are more uplifting than expected, it is not painful to sit through. I'll avoid getting too far into the plot as I usually prefer to go into a film knowing as little as possible, but the first act is integral to understanding how carefully this film treads in difficult territory. It begins in the titular room with Ma & her son Jack as we live with them for a few days and they remain confined to a small space in an unknown location. We learn their routine and see how they manage to survive, making it very clear this is the only situation Jack has ever known, and the only thing to break their routine are Sunday visits from the mysterious Old Nick (the obvious assumptions an audience makes about the terrible relationship with him are all correct). These introductory scenes so carefully capture the intense connection between our two leads, far beyond a normal mother-son relationship. Being the only person you spend time with for 5 years (or your entire life in Jack's case) creates a terrifying but fascinating dynamic that includes an animal-like reliance on & defense for this coupling. They so adore each other, but Ma - having clearly known a world beyond this one - gets understandably frustrated with her son, but moreso their situation.
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