Brie Larson received her first Oscar nomination and won the Oscar for playing Joy Neesham, a young woman who was kidnapped by an older man at around eighteen or so and then subjected to sexual abuse by her kidnapper. She eventually got pregnant by him and had a son who she has been living with inside a live- in shed for five years. Joy has shielded her son(whose name is Jack) by making him believe that the room as well as it's day to day activities are the only thing real in the world.
Larson was the hands down frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar three years ago although this was not always the case. Before the release of Joy as well as the official start of the awards season, Jennifer Lawrence was a definite possibility in regards to being the eventual winner given her popularity in Hollywood and the expectations surrounding her performance in the film. Once Lawrence became an also ran who had to struggle to be nominated, the race narrowed down to Larson and Saoirise Ronan in Brooklyn who gave a beautifully subtle performance in a very good film. Larson ended up getting the edge over Ronan with the precursors due to stronger industry popularity in Hollywood as well as the fact that her role is more dramatic although not by as much as one would think. Once the nominations were released Room snagged a Best Director nomination which strengthened Larson's chances enormously and after SAG and BAFTA awarded her there was no real chance that she would lose.
Room is a beautifully made film with a tough subject matter that is handled well by the filmmakers- it is largely the story of the boy Jack and how he sees the world in the child like wonder perspective that his mother has given him and how that slowly is shaken by the unfolding of the events surrounding him. I think it is a strong film that is worthy of praise although it doesn't delve deep enough into some aspects of the subject matter that I feel would have helped the film.
When we first meet Joy, she is a very depressed and withdrawn woman. I personally have read about real life examples of people in her situation and Larson convincingly plays a person who has become so accustomed to the horrors of her situation that there is almost no real life in her with the exception of the love for her son. Larson plays each scene with her son convincingly by portraying the true love that she has for him, her sadness of him not having a better life, and her frustrations with the reality of her situation. She and Tremblay both work extremely well together with both being believable as a mother and a son with the viewer naturally connecting with as well as rooting for them the whole way. Once things start to escalate Larson makes sure the very high stakes of her character's desperate struggle to escape come across to the audience in addition to displaying how much Joy is sacrificing for her son and how painful and fearful the mission she gives him is for her. Despite these strengths I have to say that personally I am not in love with Larson as an actress even though she does what is required of her in this film. Judging somebody's performance is so subjective that sometimes it just comes down to whether or not you find the character/the actress likable in the most fundamental way. I have to say that I don't even though that does not mean that I don't respect her work.
Moving on, once the two escape from Old Nick's(the kidnapper) clutches Larson is equally effective although the flaws in the script or perhaps the inherent nature of it become more apparent. The film is largely Tremblay's story which means that Joy's emotional journey and backstory are in the background to Jack's as well as serving as supplements to Jack's character arc instead of standing on their own. The film's vision and intentions are beautifully realized but both of those things are primarily involved with showing Jack's transformation in how he sees the world both outside and inside of the room. More details surrounding her family life, the relationship with her father, the abuse she had to withstand for all those years, and the day she was kidnapped are all things that were needed to create a fully rounded and developed performance. It's also difficult to sympathize with some of Joy's actions in the 2nd half without those details being shown(in addition to my dislike of the character) and the changes in her feel a little abrupt although still convincing.
It's a very real, authentic, and emotionally strong portrayal that fulfills the expectations of the role by executing the script's portrayal of this character well. If the film had developed Joy's backstory more and focused more on her the performance could have been on a much more powerful, emotionally charged level then it is. But even with these complaints Larson is still very strong in this film and her win isn't anything to rip your hair out over even though there was stronger performances that year that should have been honored instead. A very competent and admirable performance that is just a little underwhelming.
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