Room

Lenny Abrahamson's 2015 film follows a mother and her five-year-old son living in a single room. The boy believes the world consists of that room. The mother was abducted years earlier. The film gives the room through the child's eyes in its first half; when they get outside in the second, the narrative shows that the harder part comes after. It is adapted from a novel. Brie Larson won an Academy Award for the role, with Jacob Tremblay as the boy. No violence is shown, though it is felt throughout. Who it's for: viewers of character-driven drama. Who it's not for: viewers for whom abduction and captivity would be difficult.