Room, the adaptation of the chilling Emma Donoghue novel (she also penned the script), premiered this past weekend at the Telluride Film Festival to high praise for its two stars Brie Larson (Trainwreck) and young newcomer Jacob Tremblay. The story follows Ma, a woman who has been held captive in a 10×10 shed for seven years, suffering rape at the hands of the man who has imprisoned her. During that time she gives birth to a son, through whose eyes the film is told beginning on his fifth birthday and moving through an elaborate escape attempt by him and his Ma followed by an adjustment to the large world outside of the small box he has known.
Critics agree that director Lenny Abrahamson (Frank) has tonally captured the hauntingly emotional aspects of the novel, however, the truly heart-wrenching kicks come from Larson and Tremblay themselves. Larson’s last major dramatic turn came in 2013 with the indie Short Term 12 which had critics in an uproar of praise for her ability to take emotional depth beyond the pages of the script. In Room, Larson reportedly takes this to the next level while Tremblay provides a convincing performance without falling into the “creepy kid” trap.
Room also stars Sean Bridgers (Sweet Home Alabama), Joan Allen (The Bourne Identity), William H. Macy (TV’s Shameless), and Megan Park (What If). The film was picked up in the early stages of production by A24 and will see another premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before moving to theaters on October 16th.
See the teaser trailer here.
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