Room (2015)

Elevator Pitch: A five year old boy has only experienced the inside of a small room where he lives with his mother who he knows as Ma, and who is visited nightly by a man known as “Old Nick” while Jack, the boy sleeps in a wardrobe. The young woman has been held captive for seven years, and she finally decides that she must tell Jack that in reality there is a world outside, and that between them they must find a way of escaping.

Content: Although we know that it happens we do not see any sex taking place, since we are in the wardrobe with Jack. The first half of the film takes place inside the room with Ma creating a life, as far as possible, for Jack. Then the second half of the film in the outside world as they both attempt to adjust to their new environment, and new relationships with the boy’s grandparents, nearly all of it in their house.

A View: This film was very well liked by the critics and is No 153 on the IMDb best film list – two above the 1982 Blade Runner. It is a pretty earnest outing, and it seems almost disrespectful not to agree with the critical assessment, but in reality while the first half is absolutely terrific the second half, outside in the world, is pretty weak, more like a documentary than a drama. So if you decide to give it a go don’t expect too much.

Additional Info: Emma Donoghue was so confident that her novel would be turned into a film that she wrote the screenplay before the book was published.