Room (2015)

MIMDB score: 7.2
Current IMDB score: 8.3
Director: Lenny Abrahamson, William H. Macy
Main Actors you care about: Brie Larson

Why I liked it: It originally stuck out to me when I watched the trailer that it would be like Plato's "The Cave" allegory.  It did explore this thought a bit and I liked that it sort of went there.  Unfortunately I wanted more thoughts from the movie.  Maybe if I didn't take philosophy class where I already went through that type of thought it would have been better.  So I feel like for most people it will be rather interesting thought process but not a super popular movie.  Although without knowing or thinking about the cave allegory I don't think the movie can hold up on it's own to be higher than a 7.  Like if you didn't understand the story that O'Brother Where Art Thou was based on you could still enjoy the movie to a great extent.  I don't think that's the case with this movie as much so I only have it at 7.2.

It's considered depressing but people think movies are depressing when they are not really.  Yea this girl gets kidnapped and is being held against her will but it really about a struggle to be better in her mind. People think The Road is too depressing as well.  The ending of that movie (and I dare say theme of that movie) is saying to trust people.  How is that depressing?  Just because bad things are happening doesn't mean it's depressing.  If that was the case, how would anyone get through a year on this earth?  Bad things are happening all the time and it's depressing if you want it to be.  If you learn something from all the bad things that happen then it's not really depressing . . . . it's uplifting.

What stands out:  The kid who played Jack did fantastic.  I didn't think for a second that he hadn't been through what Jack had been through.  Well done Jacob Tremblay (which is the actor who played Jack).

Brie Larson does well of course.  Nothing outstanding I don't think but still pretty good.  I think she is doing fantastic though with her career.  Especially in movies she chooses to be involved with like this and Short Term 12.  Hopefully she keeps doing movies like this so I can keep liking her a lot.

Thing(s) I would change:  William H. Macy character's just gives up after he can't look at Jack. We don't see him anymore after that scene.  Could he not get over it?  Jack didn't ask to be born.  He could at least be really nice around Jack.  Good thing the step-dad was a freaking champion.  He was calm and understanding and just plain perfect.  I feel like Ma's dad would or should have been more understanding.

I think it's odd that the reporter asked Ma about why she didn't try and get Jack out sooner.  I don't think anyone would have asked her that.  Who would think that she really had any control over what was happening during those seven years?  Old Nick had most all of the control.  I think it was just put in so that the suicide seemed more believable.

Favorite Line(s)/Scene:
Most of the lines Jack says about what is real or not real are interesting.  Most of the lines he narrates while a scene is playing are pretty interesting.

Similar Movies/TV Shows: Short Term 12 and I Am Sam

"Side" note: Allegory of the Cave is interesting philosophically thought.  The thought is about what the reality would be for a person that was stuck in a cave his or her whole life (at least since memories formed in childhood).  They were only shown shadows on a wall of objects.  To the person in the cave only the shadows would be what was real to them.  It goes to show you that only things you can see and are used to would be your reality.  The extent of this thought could be applicable to so many parts of your life.  It should really open your mind to a lot more possibilities than what you were used to before thinking through this.

It's so very great to see a movie that has this thinking on display.  If you read through the Wikipedia link I think you'll see that the main points are used as inspiration for this film.