★★★★★ The Irish Times ★★★★★ Entertainment.ie

Adapted by Emma Donoghue from her own novel, Room tells the story of Ma (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who are being held captive by a man known only as Old Nick, who abducted Ma seven years previously. Jack is unaware that there is a real world outside the room in which he has spent his whole life, but now that he is growing older, Ma feels she must tell him the truth in order to enlist his help in escaping from Old Nick. When this endeavour proves successful, the two must adapt to the confusing world outside.

Both leads are superb, with Larson subject to much awards-related speculation since the film won the coveted People’s Choice Award at Toronto, and this undeniably powerful and moving film could not succeed without their remarkable rapport. (Notes by Kevin Coyne)

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