Slave drama wins
LENNY Abrahamson’s adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s novel Room, based on the horrific tale of a woman enslaved by a madman, won the Toronto International Film Festival’s top prize on Sunday.
Both the Booker-shortlisted bestseller and the film were inspired by Elisabeth Fritzl, who endured 24 years of captivity in the basement of her family home in Austria, where she was raped by her father and bore seven of his children. She escaped in 2008.
Irish director Abrahamson ( Frank, What Richard Did) told a press conference in Toronto this week that he tried to stay away from the true story in making the movie.
“It’s amazing to look at some of these homecomings that are captured by news crews,” he said. “But for any really good piece of storytelling, it has to be about those specific characters. So we just stuck to the truth of the characters, and not to reference any true crime.”
The film tells the story of a young woman and her child’s escape from 10 years of captivity, as told through the eyes of five-year-old Jack, played by Jacob Tremblay.
Born in the 3m by 3m space, this is where Jack eats, sleeps and plays. For him, it’s home. But his Ma (Brie Larson) has a plan to escape.
The world beyond the room leaves the boy frightened and awe-struck, while his mother must whip up the courage to face it again.
Sean Bridgers plays Ma’s kidnapper Old Nick and Jack’s father. The film also stars William H. Macy and Joan Allen.
Runners-up for the Toronto People’s Choice Award were Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, starring Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton in the true story about Boston Globe reporters who uncovered a massive child abuse scandal and cover-ups within the local Catholic Church; and Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses. Promoted as India’s first female buddy comedy, it shows a group of women discussing careers, sex, noisy neighbours and street harassment in a frank depiction of contemporary Indian society.