Room Review
RYAN: Room is a new drama based on a book by Emma Donoghue. I did not read the book but I’m thrilled to be co-reviewing this with senior associate, Karrie Grobben, who did read the book. So you’ll be able to comment on the page to screen adaptation. I avoided a lot of information about the story going in because I wanted to kind of get the full effect of it, having heard that it was disturbing. And it really is disturbing, sad, heart-breaking—disgusting, at times. And especially because you know that even though this isn’t based on a true story, it’s inspired by real-life experiences that people have like this, which is just devastating. It’s a good movie.
KARRIE: Absolutely. And thank you again for including me in this. I think what makes this film work, with very intense subject matter, is that it’s handled in such a delicate way. Even though, as you say, there are parts of it that are grotesque and even monstrous, you get a real sense that although this story is ripped from the headlines, it’s not exploitative. You really feel that they respect the characters. They respect their pain and their struggle. But there is a balance of emotions; so even though it is a film that is very difficult to watch, I would still definitely encourage people to go.
RYAN: There is certainly a journey, a movement to the story.
KARRIE: Yes.
RYAN: The first thing that it reminded me of was Nell. Did you ever see the Jodie Foster Nell movie?
KARRIE: Oh, absolutely yes.
RYAN: She spends her life growing up in the forest and then she is rescued and has to acclimate to the real world and socialization. I don’t want to go too much into a spoiler, for those like me, who don’t know where this story goes.
KARRIE: Well, there is only so much we can say without giving slight spoilers.
RYAN: But there is a Nell aspect and tone to it.
KARRIE: That is what makes this film so powerful and I hope that this doesn’t count as a spoiler… but it is from the perspective of the young boy, such an innocent character.
RYAN: Right.
KARRIE: And part of what makes this story so powerful is that things are happening that the character doesn’t necessarily understand, but that we as an audience absolutely do.
RYAN: Exactly. And that’s not a spoiler. He narrates the film. And his narration is very fantasy-driven. And it uses words that speak to the place he’s at, his experience and his perception of the world, which are these four walls and this tiny room.
KARRIE: Yes.
RYAN: I cringed every time I heard the word ‘room’ in this movie.
KARRIE: Yeah, it’s really… It’s amazing how they take a space, an innocuous word like that and it’s just invested with so much horror.
RYAN: Totally.
KARRIE: I’ll never look at a shed the same way again.
RYAN: No! (laughs) No, exactly.
KARRIE: Especially if it has a skylight!
RYAN: And that’s the thing! That even in the most innocent of places, you can be held hostage in the most open space in America.
KARRIE: Absolutely. To think that three blocks away, you know, people are living their lives.
RYAN: Right! It’s nauseating.
KARRIE: It is.
RYAN: I was actually nauseous during parts of this movie because of how upsetting it is.
KARRIE: It is.
RYAN: And it brings up some ethical questions about journalism.
KARRIE:. I thought that was a brilliant critique of some of the worst examples of kind of, sensationalistic… You know? Making money off of people’s pain. That kind of hungry journalism. There’s this appetite now in the media to hear these stories, just for the…
RYAN: Shock value.
KARRIE: The joy of misery. Yeah! That catharsis of, ‘Well it’s not happening to me.’ And it’s I think, that one thing… In a way, this film is an antidote to that. Because you can’t watch this film and not fully empathize with the situation. You can’t objectify them as, ‘Oh, it’s so awful what happened to them.’ Because you’re so fully in their… in their experience.
RYAN:Well, you do kind of watch and you’re not necessarily thinking, what would you do in that situation, because you just can’t grasp the full concept of it, the full horror of it. The performances are so strong. There’s Oscar buzz for both of these actors. Brie Larson as the mom is the current frontrunner and Jacob Tremblay as Jack would be the youngest male actor to receive a nom. They so fully realize these characters that you’re put, if not in their shoes, you’re in those four walls with them.
KARRIE: Absolutely. Just with facial expression. And I think that’s why so many of us came out of the theatre praising the little boy. Although Brie Larson was incredible. But just the smallest change of expression, and you were… completely taken into what he’s feeling. He was just brilliant. You have to really give credit to the director because working with children is very challenging. And it must have been very difficult to find that balance between not putting the child in situations that felt unsafe and teasing out a performance that was just… the best that I’ve seen in years.
RYAN: And the strength of the parent-child bond in this movie is so profound. That’s where I got choked up a few times. Those moments were so profound. It’s not a happy place to go to, it’s not an easy movie to watch. So you kind of have to brace yourself to know what you’re going into and kind of get into the mind-set for this sort of a vibe. But it’s definitely worth seeing.
KARRIE: I think it’s an important film. But I do think the film is uplifting in the sense that it is a testament to both to the mother-son bond, to the powerful way… It’s a testament to human survival.
RYAN: Connection.
KARRIE: And connection, absolutely. We are the bonds that we have with others. I mean, ultimately that is a brilliant a message. And I mean, it comes out of such a dark place.
RYAN: But just quickly, how does it compare to the book? Is the book better than the movie?
KARRIE: No, I don’t think that it is. I think in some ways, it works better as a film. Because seeing it is more dramatic and you feel more claustrophobic.. When you read it in the book, you can’t fully appreciate…
RYAN: The spatial smallness.
KARRIE: Yes, the spatial aspects. The smallness of the space versus the enormity of the world. And I think that it’s a lot easier to access Jack’s perspective.
RYAN: Right and there was really great use of light and focus…
KARRIE: Yes.
RYAN: That really gave you that incredible sense of what he was experiencing. So I guess you’re right, that’s something that you can imagine all you want to but depending upon how it’s written and this really is sort of laid out for you in the film version. It’s intense.
