Room Takes the Audience Award at Toronto, Launching it Into Best Picture Race

It was a bit of a surprise that Lenny Abrahamson’s tearjerker, Room, took the audience prize at Toronto. Then again, it did receive a standing ovation. Room was extremely well received at Telluride as well, even with all of the competition there. It was the one film, other than Spotlight, that virtually everyone seemed able to agree upon. One of the things A24 has done really well with Room is keep what it’s really about on the down low. Everyone already knows it’s about a young woman being held captive by a rapist and trying to be a mother and raising a young son. But that is really just the premise. Room is about a lot of things that I won’t spoil for you here except to say that ultimately I think it’s about parenting and what a child can call home. It’s a heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting film and easily one of the best of the year so far. Big congratulations to all involved.  Six out of the last seven winners of the audience award at TIFF have gone on to be nominated for Best Picture.  The last one to win was 12 Years a Slave.