Room on Netflix: discover the heartbreaking true story

By Lenny Abrahamson
With Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen …

The pitch : Jack, 5, lives alone with his mother, Ma. She teaches him to play, to laugh and to understand the world around him. A world that begins and ends at the walls of their bedroom, where they are held captive, the only place Jack has ever known. Ma’s love for Jack drives her to risk everything to give her son a chance to escape and experience the outdoors, an adventure he was not prepared for.

1. INSPIRE TRUE STORIES

Room is the film adaptation of the bestseller by Emma Donoghue, who wrote the screenplay for the feature film. The author wrote this novel after hearing about 5-year-old Felix in the Fritzl affair: Elisabeth Fitzl was imprisoned, raped and physically assaulted by her father for 24 years. In captivity, she gave birth to 7 children all procured by Josef Fritzl.

But Emma Donoughe did not stop at this affair. She continued her research for her novel and found another story, that of Jaycee Lee Dugard. The young woman was kidnapped in front of her stepfather in 1991 and held captive by a couple for eighteen years. The feature film Lenny abrahamson is also inspired by the Natascha Kampusch affair, sequestered for eight years.

Universal Pictures

2. SHAILENE WOODLEY PRESSENTIE

Divergent star Shailene Woodley had been approached for the role of Ma, but it was finally Brie Larson who got it. The actress caused a sensation with her performance in the film States of Grace, thanks to which she received many awards.

An excellent choice since Brie Larson was awarded the Golden Globes for Best Actress for a Dramatic Film and the Oscar for Best Actress for a Dramatic Film for her performance in Room.

3. INTENSIVE PREPARATION

Brie Larson did not hesitate to isolate himself from the rest of the world for a month and follow a strict diet in order to get as close as possible to the terrible living conditions of his character. In addition, for the sake of realism, the actress was keen not to wash her face or to be made up when filming scenes in the small room.

4.NOT A FIRST

Despite its young age (8 years old at the time of filming), Room is not the first film of Jacob Tremblay who embodies Jack. The little boy had already appeared in the casting of the Smurfs 2 and several TV movies.

It is also thanks to Room (and his remarkable presence at the Oscars) that the public discovered him. This one very quickly got along with Brie Larson. The actress was also spending time with Jacob and his parents so that they can bond before filming.

5. THE SNOW OF PROVIDENCE

The film’s production designer, Ethan Tobman, wanted the final scene to take place during a snowfall. However, using fake snow to shoot would have required a budget increase that the production could not afford. Chance doing things right, when the moment came to film the scene, the snow began to fall naturally.