'Blu-ray or Bust'
ROOM (2015, R, 118 minutes, A24/ELEMENT PICTURES)
Some actors in Hollywood actually get It. While many
understand the craft, it takes a special few that can actually create art with
their role. Those few take roles not because they are looking for a big payday,
but because they believe in the story being told.
And then there’s Brie Larson. As shown by the Academy Award
she so rightfully deserved for her role as “Ma” in ROOM, Larson goes one step
further. She was “Grace” in SHORT TERM 12 (available on Netflix), a wonderful
little movie with an amazing story. She was the troubled “Kate” in Showtime’s
“The United States of Terra”, a show that lost its way after season two—but you
kept tuning in to see if Kate would sit on any more balloons for her webcam
show.
Her rather varied career can be defined in moments, and in
ROOM, she shines like she never has before. Although she isn’t really the sole
focus of the tale; the story, about a mother and son held captive in a shed for
five years, until they plan a rather risky and daring escape, is all about
human connection. And not just with each other.
The genius in this film is all in perspective; we get much
of the story from the eyes of Jack, and it is his basic understanding of his
tiny world which gives this movie its giant beating heart. Veteran child actor
Jacob Tremblay plays Jack with a determination and drive that forces you to see
life and the world—no matter how big or small—the way he does. It is his
childhood witnessing of events that makes the film so heart-wrenching. If the
final moments, if not the preceding two hours, don’t get you, than you need to
have your mental settings checked.
This is entirely necessary on Blu-ray. The first half of the
film is focused on their captivity, but to fully appreciate their confined
living quarters, and all of the detail that went into the set itself, you need
the sharper image. Also, the soaring score by Stephen Rennicks (FRANK) can be
incredibly moving at times. The special features (of which there are three)
give an excellent back-story to the film—and to the novel by Emma Donoghue (who
also wrote the screenplay).
So go see this damn movie. If not just to see the reasons
Brie Larson won best actress, but to also see the amazing talent commanded by
little Jacob Tremblay. You are not only made witness to a dramatic piece of
storytelling, but also to the craft as an art form. Appreciate it, heathens!
Grade: A
Special Features: A
Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely
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