I feel like my issues with depression cause me to ruminate on heavy, emotional media longer than normal. From TV series like 13 Reasons Why, to video games like The Last of Us. I just watched Room yesterday and I sobbed like a bitch during and after, and I might again trying to write this post. Being a dude, I ain’t 100% comfortable sharing that with people I know, so I figured I’d put my thoughts out here.
There were a lot of things I loved about this film. Though I haven’t suffered from it myself, I felt that the film captured the experience of PTSD very well; enough so, that I think even the audience doesn’t feel complete relief at Jack and his mother’s escape. I also enjoyed Jack’s narrations that really captured his innocence, and Jacob Tremblay was just phenomenal in this movie, never overacting. I even loved some of the seemingly small writing decisions. At the very end, I didn’t know if Joy was going to say anything, just walk away, or that we would get a cut to black. Instead, they had her just mouth the words, which I thought was very powerful in its own way. Granted, I’m no film aficionado, but I’ll say that the directing, cinematography, and set pieces (particularly, the “Room”) all felt top notch to me. That said, I think a lot of people would agree that the strongest elements of this film were the story and the acting. The score deserves a good bit of credit as well. I read one or two criticisms about the score, claiming that it went too far in telling the audience how to feel. Thinking back, I could see that a little bit, but damn did it elevate the emotional heft for me, as good music tends to do. I have to say, the whole escape and rescue was just amazing. The desperation of Joy to enact such a risky plan, the combined trepidation and wonder of Jack leaving “Room”, and the music during those scenes. Such a powerful sequence of scenes; so worrying and heartwarming at the same time.
Everyone relates to movies in different ways, and I feel like there were a number reasons this movie hit me so hard. I’ve been told that I was a bit of a mama’s boy as a kid, and I’ve experienced instances of violence in the home growing up. Additionally, my mom’s life experiences have caused her to develop emotional issues that continue to put a strain on our relationship to this day. I imagine the experience watching this film must be something else if you’ve got kids, especially if they’re of the same age and temperament as Jack. I’m young, so no kids, but I have nephew a little older than Jack who’s family used to live with us, and who we’ve grown very close to. He’s also an only child, grows his hair long and is also an innocent, little mama’s boy. Their family has also had instances of violence.
Those parallels kept reminding me of my nephew, and combined with my own experiences, watching the tribulations of Jack and his mother was made that much more heart-wrenching. The movie also made me think about the childlike innocence and uneasiness a kid must feel when they know something is very wrong, but, at the same time, they’re too ignorant or weak to do anything about it (when Jack says, “I’m going to kick Old Nick’s butt”, it really hit me for some reason). The movie also made me “re-appreciate” my mom’s strength and the things she’s had to go through. That’s something that I think about now and then, but this film really made me contemplate more than usual.
Thank you if you read through all that. I’m glad I got it all out. As I said, these kinds of films weigh very heavy on me, so I don’t know if I’ll be watching it again, at least not anytime soon. I’d love to hear from all of you, if you’d like to share or re-share your thoughts and feelings about this movie.
Submitted August 29, 2017 at 12:34PM by nuwio4 http://ift.tt/2wGy6kR
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