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April 5, 2016
Academy Award for Best Actress winner! What lies beyond escape from a confined "room"... "Room" | MOVIE
MOVIE | The Birth of a Serious Actress and a Child Prodigy!
Academy Award for Best Actress! "Room"
Pushing aside new works by numerous masters and starring vehicles of Hollywood stars, "Room," a highly anticipated film that won the Audience Award (Grand Prize) at the Toronto International Film Festival, was said to predict the outcome of the Academy Awards. Its triumphant march continues unabated, earning prestigious awards daily. As predicted by US media, it achieved nominations in four major categories at the Academy Awards and won Best Actress. Showing nationwide starting Friday, April 8th, at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku and other theaters.
Text by OPENERS
The Story Begins Not After Escaping the "Room," But After That
The reason this film has captivated so many lies in the "shock and emotion unlike anything experienced before in life." The theme of this film is not a crime, an escape, or a confinement thriller, but the common, universal subject of "the bond between a mother and son." However, by slightly altering the perspective, it has been elevated into a love story for the ages, one that even Academy Award judges have never encountered. Unlike typical confinement films, it's not a "happy ending once they escape." After a mother and son, confined for seven years, return to the "outside world," the film depicts their subsequent struggles with public scrutiny and their journey to reclaim their lives. Through this "aftermath," audiences witness a miraculous parental love they've never seen before.
A suspenseful escape that leaves you breathless, the courage of Jack, who leaps into the unknown outside world armed only with his mother's love, elicits stifled sobs.—All predictable outcomes are masterfully subverted. Beyond the "room," the film's rare value and brilliance await. The final moments deliver a barrage of heart-piercing dialogue, choices by characters that stir emotions to the point of losing oneself, and a finale that resonates with a soul-stirring cry.
Enter the Child Prodigy Who Holds the Key to the Film's Success
The original work is the critically acclaimed bestseller "Room" by Emma Donoghue, which was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It is based on the true story of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was confined in a basement with her children for 24 years in Austria. Donoghue, who stated, "I wasn't interested in the scandalous aspects of the case, but in the maternal instinct under extreme circumstances and the resilience of the human spirit," was enthusiastically contacted by director Lenny Abrahamson (known for "Frank") and boldly adapted the screenplay herself.
Abrahamson's biggest challenge was casting the son, Jack. "The success of this film hinged on finding an actor who could portray extraordinary imagination, judgment, and a strong personality," he recalled. It was then that he discovered Jacob Tremblay for the role of Jack.
"For a 5-year-old character, you'd normally just want the child to be themselves. But for Jack, we needed an actor who could act. He wasn't just charming and sweet; he possessed remarkable acting skills. It felt like hitting the jackpot at a casino. It was like a shower of light from the ceiling," Abrahamson said. Jacob understood Jack's situation perfectly. His performance was highly praised, earning him 19 nominations for film awards, including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, and winning 6 awards, including the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.
Additionally,The film "Short Term" Received the Highest Rating in Review Site HistoryBrie Larson, who gained attention for her role as "Ma" in "Short Term," lived a secluded life, rarely going out to fully immerse herself in the character, even avoiding sunlight. Director Abrahamson praised her, saying, "If we hadn't cast Brie, this film wouldn't be what it is today." She deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in this film.
Brie Larson
Photograph by Jon Furniss
A Shocking Masterpiece That Resonates Deeply
Ma and Jack live in a confined "Room." They exercise, watch TV, and bake cakes; time passes pleasantly. But this room was the entirety of their world. When Jack turns five, his mother risks her life to escape, determined to show her son, who knows only the "Room," the real world. However, the reality they leap into is overwhelmingly vast...
The Astonishing Fate of a Mother and Son After Escaping the "Room"—?
"Room"
Opening Friday, April 8, 2016, at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku, TOHO Cinemas Chante, and other theaters nationwide.
Director | Lenny Abrahamson
Original Story & Screenplay | Emma Donoghue
Starring | Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay
Distribution | Gaga
2015 / Ireland, Canada / 118 min / Original Title "ROOM"
GAGA.NE.JP / ROOM
©ElementPictures / RoomProductionsInc/ChannelFourTelevisionCorporation2015