Room Review - 4 Stars

“Room” begins in a backyard shed where Bree Larson has been held captive for seven years—long enough to have been impregnated by her kidnapper and given birth to a son.  The son is played by young Jacob Tremblay in one of the year’s strongest performances.  Locked in this small space, mother and child bond on love and lack of freedom.  At night, the kidnapper enters for conjugal visits.  In dialog we learn of Bree’s life and her attempts to escape.  Ultimately she and her son come up with a plan that will put a knot in your stomach and sweat on your palms.  Then “Room” amps up from the tension of “Silence of the Lambs” to a drama about freedom and the world outside. Watching Bree Larson and Jacob Tremblay together is one of the great viewing experiences of the year.  “Room” one of the year’s most powerful movies.  It’s also a hard sell.  I heard two women in the theater talking about the great reviews for “Room” and the harsh subject matter.  “I don’t wanna see it” one said.  She’s missing a masterpiece.  Does it deliver what it promises?  Tension filled thriller.  Is it entertaining?  Difficult to watch and impossible to forget.  Is it worth the price of admission?  A great great movie.