Finally got around to this one.
First off, I thought it was an acting tour de force from Larson and Tremblay. Two extremely naturalistic performances and I never, for a moment, doubted the mother-son bond between them. That was just great.
It was an emotional, heavy-hitting film. There were multiple times that it really got to me.
A few random observations:
- I see what
@shadow_priest_x was saying about Joy having to bank on Old Nick not looking in the rug, but I think she was confident enough that her expression of anger, pain, and hostility toward Nick for not taking him to the hospital would be enough to discourage Nick from looking. Additionally, Joy would generally not let him look at or interact with Jack since he had been born so it was safe to say that when it came to Jack, Joy's protectiveness and strength was enough to prompt Old Nick to back off.
- I can't imagine the pain and horror women in this type of situation went through. I read the book Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus wrote and saw the TV movie from Michelle Knight's perspective and it's just fucking horrendous that this happens.
- The film did a great job of showing the frustration- both from Jack's and Joy's perspective- when she is trying to break the illusion that she had created and let him know the true nature of the world and their situation. From Joy's perspective, it seems like she is hurt by the fact that Jack is seemingly unable to process this, but from Jack's perspective, he is being told something that not only contradicts his world view but also paints a much bleaker picture of the world than the illusion one.
- The latter half of the film was very good, too. Joan Allen is always a reliably solid actress and I really liked how they focused on Jack gradually letting his guard down and cultivating a relationship with his grandma and her husband.
- William H. Macy gave a very sad, impacting performance. I would have liked to see more of him, but I think it was effective that the film conveyed the pain but did not provide catharsis with the character. I fully expected there would be some scene where he was able to speak with Jack, but there was not. That lack of resolution was troubling but felt real.
- The reporter made me want to punch the screen during the interview scene. Was she meant to be from some sort of schlock news program? Because I kept asking myself who the f would ask something that accusatory and insensitive to someone who had gone through such hardship.
Overall, a very emotionally challenging and, ultimately, uplifting movie. Brie Larson is awesome and I look forward to seeing more of her work. Tremblay gave a very resonant and authentic performance. Highly recommend it.