Room

Some people divide the film into two halves. The first one, which is claustrophobic and takes place in a confined space of a cell, is supposed to be significantly better than the second one. The problem I see is that many viewers went to see a thriller. The premise was tempting and so was the trailer. But the expectations were not fulfilled. Room is from start to finish a psychological drama about the loss of freedom and subsequent coping with psychological traumas. In the first half, there are a few thriller elements, but in the second, the psychological aspect of the storytelling overwhelmingly prevails. Another problem that someone might see is that the film is shot from the perspective of a child, which leads some to claim that the film is too sentimental. I am sensitive to tear-jerking and manipulative sentiments, but emotionally, Room suits me nearly perfectly. It is convincing in what it strives for and it is sensitively shot considering the subject matter. If you wanted this to be a new Kiss the Girls, then that's your problem. Overall impression: 90%. (04/13/2018)

A quality psychological drama with excellent performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. A strong story that surprisingly (and fortunately) doesn’t end with the mother and son’s escape but follows them as they try to cope with everyday life. This second part of the film made an even stronger impression on me than the first part, in which they were still locked up. The film kept me entertained, and the story completely drew me in. I wish there were more films like this. (07/13/2016)

It’s difficult to speculate to what extent the experiences, emotions and situations depicted are truly authentic and relevant, as the experience is so very specific, unique and unimaginably agonizing. From the filmmakers' point of view, we can call it more like "directorial or scriptwriting ideas" and a kind of an extract of clips and experiences – or perhaps one of the turning points of a 7-year long story – and there weren't enough of those ideas and clips for an emotional charge. It's a raw, sharp and straightforward film, it's just that the setup is too lacking in density and cohesiveness and some crucial question marks towards the main characters arise as the story progresses, but the viewer isn't given the answers, and so the most complete and emotionally resonant scenes are often the simplest (Jack with the dog, etc.). But credit where credit is due to both the direction and the fantastic Brie Larson, who has set up a career as a dramatically talented actress like Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore. Lots of music in a minimal amount of space, but there’s no orchestra. (04/28/2016)

A massive attempt to manipulate audiences that is far from flawless and inventive as far as the story is concerned, working more or less with artfully bent family motifs, but formally and above all in terms of the acting, has nothing to reproach and fulfils to perfection its sole purpose, to reach the audience in sensitive emotional spheres. And that is all there is to it... 85% (01/13/2016)

A really rough story that couldn’t have gotten a better movie adaptation. The best scene comes in about half of the movie. I was just staring, completely speechless. Not only is it great how this movie tackled the difficult premise, but also that it includes the consequences and I really liked that. What’s more, the previously unimpressive Brie Larson has shown how great her acting can be in the end. The 8-year-old Jacob Trembley was also outright amazing. Overall, not an easy movie to watch, but the more it makes you think. (02/28/2016)