Room (2015 film)

Room

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2015 (2015)
Founder	Lenny Abrahamson (director), Emma Donoghue (writer)
Area served	International
Products	Psychological survival drama film

Room is a 2015 psychological survival drama created through an international collaboration, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and scripted by Emma Donoghue, adapted from her 2010 novel. The film features Brie Larson portraying a woman held captive for seven years, whose son (Jacob Tremblay), born during captivity, is five years old. Their eventual escape introduces the child to the outside world. Supporting roles are filled by Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus, and William H. Macy.

Produced jointly by Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, filming took place at Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto. The confined room set was constructed to be detachable for easy crew access. Larson prepared for her role by studying trauma and nutritional science.

Room debuted at the 42nd Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2015, and secured the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award during TIFF 2015. Its theatrical release occurred on October 23, 2015, in Canada through Elevation Pictures, followed by a January 15, 2016 release in the UK and Ireland via StudioCanal. In the United States, it had a limited release starting October 16, 2015, before expanding widely on January 22, 2016, under A24. Critics praised the performances of Larson and Tremblay as well as the narrative, with the film earning $36.3 million against a $13 million budget.

The movie garnered numerous accolades and nominations, including four nods at the 88th Academy Awards, such as Best Picture and Best Director for Abrahamson. Larson received the Best Actress honor alongside awards like the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Plot

In Akron, Ohio, Joy Newsome, aged 24, lives with her five-year-old son Jack inside a cramped shed known as "Room." This confined space contains only basic facilities within one area and features a skylight as its sole window. They are prisoners of "Old Nick," Jack’s biological father who abducted Joy seven years prior and subjected her to ongoing abuse. Jack, conceived through rape, believes that Room constitutes the entire universe because Joy shields him from external realities.

Old Nick warns that he might lose his job and therefore can no longer supply their needs. One evening, while Old Nick sleeps, Jack leaves his closet refuge; Joy intervenes harshly, resulting in punishments including shutting off heat and electricity. Joy begins revealing aspects of the outside world to Jack, who responds with skepticism but intrigue. She feigns Jack having a fever in hopes Old Nick will take him to hospital; instead, he promises medication.

Joy formulates an escape strategy involving Jack pretending to be lifeless. Old Nick places him inside his truck; however, Jack manages to flee and alerts a passerby. Old Nick attempts to recapture him but fails and escapes. Police rescue Jack and subsequently find Joy; Old Nick is apprehended.

Reunited with her family, Joy learns that her parents have divorced and that her mother has a new partner named Leo. Returning home with Jack, Joy faces rejection from her father who leaves upon seeing Jack. Jack experiences difficulty adjusting to life outside Room, speaking only to Joy and longing for their former confinement. Joy struggles with anger and depression while worrying about Jack’s social withdrawal.

Following legal advice aimed at financial support, Joy consents to participate in a television interview but becomes distressed over questions concerning her decisions during captivity. Overcome with emotion, she attempts suicide; Jack discovers her unconscious state leading to hospitalization.

Jack slowly adapts by bonding with Leo’s dog Seamus and making new friends. Believing that cutting his long hair might aid Joy’s recovery, he sends it to her. Upon returning home, Joy apologizes for her suicide attempt and expresses gratitude to Jack for saving her life once more. Together they start embracing their new life and visit Room one final time under police supervision. Finding Room smaller than remembered with its door open, Jack says farewell as they move forward into their future.

Development

Emma Donoghue, who authored both the novel and the screenplay prior to the book's release in 2010, felt the novel's structured narrative was well-suited for cinematic adaptation and declined numerous offers due to creative considerations. After reading the novel, director Lenny Abrahamson wrote Donoghue an extensive fan letter expressing his enthusiasm for the project, which ultimately led to his appointment as director.

In 2012, Abrahamson and Donoghue collaborated for a week in London, Ontario to refine the screenplay. Donoghue took on the role of executive producer, playing a key part in major creative decisions. Utilizing her Canadian citizenship, she helped obtain Canadian financing and advocated for filming in Toronto because of its resemblance to U.S. locations. Canadian producer David Gross persuaded Irish co-producers to shoot in Canada, enabling extended shooting schedules and larger budgets.

Casting

The role of Joy was considered for actresses including Emma Watson, Rooney Mara, Shailene Woodley, and Mia Wasikowska.<ref>Brie Larson was ultimately chosen after a colleague of Abrahamson recommended her performance in Short Term 12 (2013). Larson prepared by consulting with trauma specialists and nutritionists, adhering to a strict diet and avoiding sunlight.<ref> She described Room as "a story of love and freedom and perseverance," emphasizing themes of personal growth and self-realization.<ref>

The casting process involved auditions of numerous child actors before selecting seven-year-old Jacob Tremblay from Vancouver.<ref> Tremblay found the character approachable since he played a joyful child unaware of the story’s darker aspects.<ref> Given his age, he was briefed on scenes individually rather than receiving the full script. To enhance authenticity, he wore a wig made from human hair.<ref> According to Joan Allen, who portrayed Nancy, Larson and Tremblay spent over three weeks building a strong working relationship prior to filming five weeks of scenes together. Allen met Tremblay later but maintained some professional distance to preserve the story’s dynamic.<ref>

Allen prepared for her role by reflecting on her own experiences instead of consulting mothers of abducted children.<ref> Canadian actor Tom McCamus auditioned for Old Nick but was cast as Leo instead.<ref> Some dialogue was improvised by the cast; Donoghue noted that these spontaneous moments enriched the script with natural language and contributed original lines to the final film.<ref>

Filming

To provide an immersive environment for Tremblay, director Abrahamson employed a single Room set constructed at Pinewood Toronto Studios. Montreal-based production designer Ethan Tobman crafted the set with meticulous detail so that "every square inch of Room needed to have a backstory." The design included removable set pieces to accommodate crew members and equipment within the limited space. Abrahamson and cinematographer Danny Cohen kept camera lenses inside the set throughout all scenes, with up to eight camera operators working simultaneously alongside Larson and Tremblay. The actors also played a role in arranging props.

Filming exterior scenes occurred after completing those inside Room. Although the crew expected relief from confined conditions, shooting outside in Toronto—standing in for Akron—introduced challenges such as cold temperatures and managing crowds. Cohen observed that returning for the final scene made the Room set feel even smaller.

The cinematography utilized a Panavision Primos lens mounted on a Red Epic Dragon camera, combined with Kino Flo lighting to create Room’s unique visual texture. Principal photography commenced on November 10, 2014, concluding on December 15, 2014.

Post-production

Nathan Nugent, who took on the role of editor, also contributed as the second-unit director. Reflecting on his approach to editing Room, he characterized it as straightforward, aiming to maintain the integrity of the performances throughout the five months of work in Dublin. Since Tremblay’s scenes were captured through numerous takes to explore different nuances, Nugent and Abrahamson meticulously pieced these together during post-production.

Release

Prior to filming, U.S. distribution rights were acquired by A24. The film had its debut on September 4, 2015, at the 42nd Telluride Film Festival, followed by showings at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2015. Its limited theatrical release in the United States commenced on October 15, 2015. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, StudioCanal handled distribution, launching it on January 15, 2016, with a wide release following on January 22, 2016.

Home media

In the United States, Lionsgate released the film on DVD and Blu-ray formats on March 1, 2016. The home media versions became available in the United Kingdom and Ireland in May 2016.

Box office

Following its U.S. debut on October 16, 2015, Room expanded to a peak of 198 theaters between December 11 and 14, earning $5,166,724 prior to receiving Academy Award nominations. This made it one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture contenders in recent memory. Canada's Elevation Pictures found this initial financial performance unexpected since winning the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival usually indicates strong box office potential. Nevertheless, after nominations were announced, ticket sales improved; upon its release in the Republic of Ireland on January 15, it generated €200,000 across 50 cinemas. Within a month, it had surpassed €1 million in total earnings nationwide.

By April 24, Room had concluded its theatrical run with approximately $14.7 million earned domestically and $20.7 million internationally, resulting in a global total of $36.3 million against a production budget of $13 million.

Critical response

Room was met with extensive critical praise. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 93% approval rating from 319 critics and an average score of 8.5/10, highlighting "exceptional performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay." Meanwhile, Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on evaluations from 43 reviewers, signifying "universal acclaim."

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter commended Larson for delivering an "exceptionally multi-layered performance" alongside Tremblay’s believable acting. Eric Kohn from IndieWire emphasized their nuanced portrayals that lent authenticity to the narrative of survival. Richard Roeper described it as "the finest filmmaking effort of 2015," whereas Rex Reed found it "potent and unforgettable," though potentially too somber for some audiences.

The lead performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay received notable acclaim. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal labeled their work as "transcendent," while Peter Travers from Rolling Stone asserted their portrayals "will astonish viewers," particularly praising Larson’s profound exploration of Joy’s character.

In its countries of origin, critical reception was equally favorable. Barry Hertz from Canada’s The Globe and Mail characterized Room as inspiring and lauded both leads, referring to Tremblay as "a wide-eyed marvel." Chris Knight of the National Post described Tremblay as "extraordinarily gifted," highlighting how effectively the film utilized its confined setting. Liz Braun from the Toronto Sun noted that the narration conveyed both joy and claustrophobia with compelling performances by Larson and Tremblay. Linda Barnard from the Toronto Star described it as "simultaneously tender and chilling." In Ireland, Donald Clarke of The Irish Times awarded five stars, calling it "harrowing yet hopeful," while Daniel Anderson from the Irish Examiner recognized its distinctiveness but described it as bleak.

Matthew Lickona of the San Diego Reader offered a more critical perspective, labeling it "a timid film about courageous individuals."

Accolades

Room received widespread acclaim, earning numerous awards and nominations, particularly for Brie Larson's portrayal, which won Best Actress distinctions from the National Board of Review, Chicago Film Critics, the Academy Awards, Critics' Choice, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Golden Globe. Critical praise was also directed toward Emma Donoghue's adapted screenplay and Jacob Tremblay's acting. The film achieved four nominations at the 88th Academy Awards and was recognized by more than 50 critics and outlets as one of the top films of 2015.

At the 4th Canadian Screen Awards, Room took home nine honors, including Best Motion Picture, Best Direction awarded to Lenny Abrahamson, Best Adapted Screenplay for Donoghue, Best Actor for Tremblay, and Best Actress for Larson. Additionally, it earned seven accolades at the 13th Irish Film & Television Awards, such as Best Film, Director for Abrahamson, screenplay for Donoghue, and International Actress awarded to Larson.

External links

• Official website
• IMDb
• Box Office Mojo
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Metacritic
• Official screenplay