The "Room" Trailer is Creepy and Perplexing

Left to right: Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson

Yesterday I wrote about all of the news that came out of the Telluride Film Festival. We received updates, newcomers, and various other potential narratives for the Oscar season ahead. Among the bigger revelations is director Lenny Abrahamson's Room. The film that stars Brie Larson as a mother with her own strange story captured audiences with some even commenting on it being one of her best. As awards season continues to pick up, a trailer has been released for the underdog film that could end up being studio A24's first Oscar contender. From the looks of it, there's at least plenty to admire from the Frank director in terms of atmosphere and tone.

Among my favorite younger actresses out there is Brie Larson. While I don't often bring her up on The Oscar Buzz, I do think that she slowly has proven to be a compelling actress. Going back to her breakout in the Showtime series The United States of Tara, she has continually impressed from small roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to dramatic fare like Short Term 12. My main concern was that Room wasn't going to be a film with a lot of buzz much like Short Term 12 didn't get any traction. However, Telluride at very least has me compelled to believe that this may be Larson's shot, even if this ends up being wishful thinking. Like a handful of other performers, it would take a hat trick for that nomination to come true.

Also, Abarahamson is a really good director of complicated characters. While Frank may appear to be a novelty concept, it did actually delve into an interesting, conflicted character played by Michael Fassbender. Among the quirky comedy and odd songs, you understood his struggle with perfectionism and ego. If there's one thing that I hope that Abrahamson brings to Room, it is that conflicting nature of being human. There's a lot that could make him a great director as he goes further on. For now, I think that the reviews coming for Room are very promising and can make Larson the underdog of the year - provided we don't have any breakouts akin to Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) or Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) that form in this upcoming narrative.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks very weird. Here's the plot according to IMDb:

A modern-day story about the boundless love between mother and child; young Jack knows nothing of the world except for the single room in which he was born and raised.

At very least, the trailer is staggering and different from most of what we have seen from Oscar hopefuls. It leaves plenty of mystery and conflict on display without telling us how to feel about Larson's character. When I initially saw this, I didn't think that it would be a film of note beyond indie circles. For all I know, that is still true. However, the buzz around Larson has me at least a little excited for things to come. Maybe Abarahamson's complicated look at the human condition will shine through here and give us one of the more complicated portraits of motherhood in recent years. Who knows. If nothing else, I'm just glad that there's more films entering the conversation, at least to make the awards season a little more interesting.