Room is a 2015 internationally co-produced survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel.

The film was theatrically released in Canada on October 23, 2015, by Elevation Pictures and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 15, 2016, by StudioCanal.

In Akron, Ohio, 24-year-old Joy Newsome and her five-year-old son Jack live in a squalid shed they call "Room."

Jack struggles to adjust to life in the larger world, speaking only to his mother and expressing a desire to return to Room.

Joy struggles with anger and depression, lashing out at her mother and becoming worried about Jack's lack of interaction with "real" things.

Believing his long hair will give Joy the strength she needs to recover, Jack has his grandmother cut it for him so he can send it to her.

[6] She explained she felt sure the book could be made into a film because of its structured storyline, and received many offers from filmmakers after it was published, which she rejected for creative reasons.

[7] Director Lenny Abrahamson read the novel and sent Donoghue a 10-page fan letter telling her it should be a film, without knowing a screenplay already existed.

[12] Emma Watson, Rooney Mara, Shailene Woodley and Mia Wasikowska were considered for the role of Joy.

"[20] In preparation for her own role, Allen did not consult real mothers of kidnapped children, but said she reflected on her own experiences "in a mall when my daughter was little and I look around and within a flash she's not there".

[24] Montreal production designer Ethan Tobman set out with the idea "that every square inch of Room needed to have a backstory".

[42] After its U.S. release on October 16, 2015, Room played in a peak of 198 theaters from December 11 to 14, and grossed $5,166,724 before its Academy Award nominations were announced, making it one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominees in years.

[43] Initial box office under-performance came as a surprise to Canada's Elevation Pictures, since winning the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival was usually a predictor of financial success.

[44] However, the nominations gave the film a boost at the box office, and after opening in the Republic of Ireland on 15 January, it initially made €200,000 at 50 theatres.

The site's critical consensus states, "Led by incredible work from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Room makes for an unforgettably harrowing—and undeniably rewarding—experience.

"[48] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

[49] Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Overall, it's a decent shot at a tall target, but real credit is due the lead actors, with Larson expanding beyond the already considerable range she's previously shown with an exceedingly dimensional performance in a role that calls for running the gamut, and Tremblay always convincing without ever becoming cloying.

"[50] Eric Kohn of IndieWire stated, "Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay['s]... textured performances turn outrageous circumstances into a tense and surprisingly credible survival tale.

"[51] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "the most impressive piece of filmmaking I've seen in 2015, and one of the best movies of the decade".

Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal said "this drama is as big as all outdoors in scope; poetic and profound in its exploration of the senses; blessed with two transcendent performances, by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay; and as elegantly wrought as any film that has come our way in a very long while.

"[53] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "All you need to know is that the performances of Larson and Tremblay will blow you away.

And Larson, so good in Short Term 12, is magnificent, finding a way into Joy's bruised psyche that tears at your heart.

[55] Chris Knight for the National Post called Tremblay "preternaturally talented", and said Room "works on a tiny canvas, but in doing so it emphasizes that great things can be accomplished in tight spaces".

[56] Liz Braun of the Toronto Sun said Jack's narration made the Room scenes "joyful" as well as claustrophobic, and that Larson and Tremblay's performances are "completely engaging".

[57] Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star called Room "equally tender and chilling",[58] In Ireland, Donald Clarke of The Irish Times gave the film five stars, calling it "harrowing", and concluded, "We are left with a film that manages a degree of optimism in the most unpromising circumstances.

"[59] Daniel Anderson, writing for the Irish Examiner, called Room "an utterly unique tale which has seen the filmmaker deservedly thrust onto the world stage", but also "bleak" and "difficult to recommend".