"Room" and Directing Child Actors

If you haven't seen Room, you should stop reading this blog post, turn off your computer, drive down to Cinemapolis, and see Room. Here, I found the showtimes for you. Oh look, it's playing at 9 tonight, why not head down, grab a big bucket of popcorn, and cry your damn eyes out for two hours?

If you've never even heard of Room, here's what you need to know: it's about Ma (Brie Larson) and her five-year old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who have been held captive my a man only referred to as "Old Nick" for the past seven years. All that they have, their entire life, is now currently contained in the confines of one single room. A fridge, a stove, a bed, a wardrobe, a TV. The film is nothing to write home about, technically speaking, but it presents a scarily convincing, character driven story that focuses on the relationship between a mother and a son and how your environment can shape your entire world view. Plus the acting is phenomenal.

Let's talk about that acting for a second - specifically, Jacob Tremblay, who was only 8 years old when the movie was filmed and for all intents and purposes deserves to be nominated for best lead actor in every single awards show there is. He was that good. Sometimes, it can be hard for child actors to play a convincing enough version of a normal child, and we tend to let this slide. It almost feels like a given, at least among viewers, that kids can't really act. I've personally run into this problem a few times; the first was when we shot that godawful "Kitchen Council" last year, and again when we needed to bring in not one, but two child actors for "Syndicated." Unless you're really good with kids and know exactly what to tell them to get a point across, they can be a nightmare to work with.

Which is why it's impressive that Tremblay - again, only eight years old - was able to perfectly capture the essence of a kid who's spent his whole life in one single 14''X14'' room. He goes toe to toe with Brie Larson (who, don't even get me started, is phenomenal in everything she does) and steals every single scene that he's in. Which is almost all of them. This nuanced, beautiful performance, all coming from someone whose response to the question "what made it (the wig that Tremblay had to wear for most of the film) so bad?" is "I didn't like it. I looked like a girl."

A good portion of getting great performances from children, however, comes with the directing. There were a few really interesting tidbits that I took away from this interview with Lenny Abrahamson, the director, many of which seem like they could be useful if I ever have to work with kids again. For starters, they didn't introduce Tremblay and Larson until right before the shoot (they casted Tremblay at the last minute, since kids change so rapidly), and even then, they started things naturally: the two would play legos and hang out in the actual Room set for long chunks of time before they would film. It was in large part thanks to this relationship that the two were able to have such great chemistry in the film.

Short Term 12

It's a film that on paper, is completely dismissible. Even the title, Short Term 12, is a bit nondescript and missable. However the film is incredibly powerful and poignant. Set in a halfway house for foster children, Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton,  is a film centered around the young adult who takes care of them.

Grace, played by Brie Larson, is a former troubled youth herself and is at Short Term 12 to help those struggling just as she did. She is stern yet fun and smiles shyly at her coworker Mason, played by John Gallagher Jr from the Newsroom. We quickly learn that they have been in a longterm relationship that presumably started while they were working at the halfway house.

We are quickly introduced to the eclectic, manic, and ultimately sweet group of kids staying at the house. The nature of the kids situation is made apparent to us by Marcus, who is about to turn 18. 

  

Grace explains to new hire Nate, who serves as the eyes and ears of the audience, that at 18 these kids are released to make their way in the world. Through Nate we are introduced to this often insane world. He also shows us our own innocence, there's a very powerful moment in which Nate struggles to clean blood off a wall. Nate is at points the only image which the audience can relate.

                                                                                                                                                                  We are also introduced to a young girl Jayden, for who Grace has an immediate and recognizable affinity. Jayden lets the group know immediately that she won't be there long. That her father is picking her up soon. 

Jayden is the catalyst to this crumbling world of humans helping humans. She is the kid Grace has the most in common with and we quickly realize that this caretaker is anything but ordered. The film picks up speed and the hand held camera shows us just how quickly things are getting out of control. 

This could have just been another emotionally derivative indie film about society's handling of marginalized people. Instead it is a very real and authentic look at people who are struggling internally. It's a stand out performance by Brie Larson, who has played excellent small comedic roles in comedies such as 21 Jump Street, The Spectacular Now, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. It is a powerful performance for someone who is often perceived as light and funny. The screenplay, based on the short film Cretton created,  is based on Cretton's real life experiences working in the foster care system. It's a genuine film that leaves the viewer at a loss. The supporting cast is remarkable and they truly elevate Larson as a girl losing her grip. A beautiful film with real human emotions that most of us have never had to feel before.

Short Term 12 is available on Netflix.