Room
Movie, 2015, The 2010s, Set in An 11-foot shed
Room is #5 of 37 in release order and #5 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.
Room recap
Room (2015) follows Joy Newsome and her five-year-old son Jack, held captive in a soundproof garden shed that Jack believes is the whole world. Lenny Abrahamson directs from Emma Donoghue's script of her own 2010 novel. Joy (Brie Larson) was kidnapped seven years earlier by a man they call Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), who is Jack's father. Jack (Jacob Tremblay) knows the outside only through television. When Old Nick loses his job and cuts their power, Joy tells Jack the truth and devises an escape: Jack plays dead, rolled in a rug, and jumps from Old Nick's truck. A passerby and police save him, and Jack leads them to Joy. Back at her mother Nancy's home (Joan Allen), Jack slowly takes to the wider world while Joy, after a harsh TV interview, attempts suicide. The film stands alone.
Room ending explained
Room ends with Joy back from hospital and Jack asking to visit the shed one last time. Jack has settled in with his grandmother and her partner Leo, made a friend and sent Joy a lock of his hair for strength. With police escorting them, they step into Room with the door open. Jack finds it smaller than he remembers and says it does not feel like Room any more. He says goodbye to each object, Joy quietly says goodbye too, and they walk away. The novel is told entirely in Jack's voice; the film keeps his narration but widens the view to show Joy's breakdown.
Post-credits scenes
No. Room has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Room
Room is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 34%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Witch, before The Lobster.
- Chronological order: after The Witch, before The Lobster.
Cast
- Brie Larson as Ma
- Jacob Tremblay as Jack
- Joan Allen as Nancy
- Sean Bridgers as Old Nick
- Tom McCamus as Leo
- William H. Macy as Robert
- Cas Anvar as Dr. Mittal
- Amanda Brugel as Officer Parker
- Wendy Crewson as Talk Show Hostess
- Joe Pingue as Officer Grabowski
- Sandy McMaster as Veteran
- Matt Gordon as Doug
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson.