Movie math:Saw+ the last half hour ofThe Shawshank Redemption+Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt+Terms of Endearment=Room.
Jack can’t fathom a world beyond the four walls that pen in his imagination.
How long have they been in this room?
Credit: Caitlin Cronenberg
What cruel fate put them here?
The movie doles out these answers slowly, making us feel as disoriented as these doomed souls in confinement.
“A
Best line:“Hello Jack.
Thanks for saving our little girl.”
Nancy, Joy’s mother (Joan Allen)
Number of Oscar nods:Four.
Room’s Oscar history:Non-existent.
All ofRoom’s four nominees are first timers: Larson, Abrahamson, Donoghue, and producer Ed Guiney.
(Six of the last seven recipients have scored Best Picture nominations; three have won.)
However, Larson has been the primary recipient of all the goodwill.
Why it should win:Because none of the eight nominated films wedged your heart in your throat likeRoomdid.
And he achieved it while never compromising the story’s integrity.
Through this little boy we deeply understand the innate goodness of people.
Without the mental cognition to even articulate his actions, he instinctually saves the life of his Ma.
