Parents' Guide to Room

Room is an admittedly unsettling adaptation, but it's also a beautifully acted testament to the unsinkable bond between a mother and son, whose love propels them to rescue each other. Larson gives a career-making performance as the woman known simply as "Ma" for most of the film. She and young Tremblay make a remarkable duo; Tremblay, in particular, is riveting and natural in a way that's incredibly rare for a child actor. Both actors fully embody Donoghue's literary characters -- a young woman whose life was cut short at 17 but whose child, born in sadness and seclusion, brings her the only hope, joy, and companionship possible in her situation. The desperately tense scene in which she prepares Jack and then sends him to escape from their kidnapper's claws is so anxiety-provoking that even those who've read the novel and know how it ends will feel viscerally uncomfortable until it's finally, finally over.

This isn't the kind of movie that's pleasant to watch. While not as graphically violent as war survival dramas, it's nonetheless upsetting and emotional. That the story is told from Jack's point of view is what makes both the book and the movie so unforgettable. Intelligent beyond his years yet utterly unaware of the world around him, Jack is a mysterious creature to behold, while his Ma, to any parent in the audience, is undeniably a hero for having the courage to raise such a beautiful, kind soul under such heartbreaking limits. Prepare to cry, to feel, and to cheer for Jack and Ma; this is the kind of film that stays with you long after the credits roll.