Room

No, not The Room. Room.

The first title is an infamous Independent F-Movie that inspired a book, The Disaster Artist, the film of which is in production now. The second is an Independent A-Movie by director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Emma Donoghue, who translated her own novel into cinematic terms.

All 5-year old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) knows is Room. That's where he and his Ma (Brie Larson) Joy live. That's where Old Nick (Sean Bridgers) brings them "Sunday Treats" like clothes and toys. That's where Jack sees TV, and sees things that seem imaginary to him. That's all he knows.

Old Nick is the pervert who snatched away Joy seven years ago. Jack came along two years later (you do the math). Room is Old Nick's garden shed. He tortures Joy every night, either in-person or not. Joy has a plan to get help and she needs Jack to pull it off. When Jack finally escapes, he's overwhelmed by the real world. But he gets used to it more than Joy.

The first half of the movie is within the freakishly claustrophobic confines of "Room." It's pretty normal when Joy and Jack are by themselves. But it's emotionally overwhelming when Old Nick shows up. He's such a scumbag that Room itself feels smaller when he's there.

It's not long before Jack and Joy find freedom. Jack's escape from Old Nick's pickup and the cops locating Joy from Jack's scant details was exhilarating (Stephen Rennicks' score helped a lot). Joy's father (William H. Macy) inability to acknowledge Jack as his grandson, for better or worse, was tense. Jack adjusting to the world was just nice. It gets sad when Joy can't do the same. All these mood swings and it's officially rated R for language?

Jack's narration makes the mood swings bearable. His naive viewpoint provides some needed comic relief. It's a miracle that Jack is actually well-adjusted, albeit stubborn, considering his upbringing. Joy earns the audience's empathy with her selflessness and intelligence. They feel like mother and son rather than actors playing mother and son. It's just that real.

Room is not an easy film to sit through. You can probably tell that from the premise alone. But its tone works because the dark scenes are followed by uplifting ones. The ending shows Jack and Joy leaving their past behind and hopping aboard the future. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.