WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
For me, Brie Larsson – much like her character of Captain Marv-El – was an unknown quantity. This isn’t a negative though, as I think sometimes if I know the actor before they take on a specific hero role I can be quick to judge how good or bad they are going to be and in terms of the character I will judge the film on how accurately they were portrayed. It was refreshing to not be able to do this here…
Adventures with Bliss
First off, I don’t get the point of the cheese Stephanie gifts Morris being called ‘Larson’s Brie’ (please, anyone who didn’t notice this then I am really concerned). Anyway, not the point. The character of Stephanie clearly has Daddy issues, the fact that about 30 minutes into the film she talks about her dad killing a rat and she seems to sound like she’s getting a little hot under the collar. The film only spans the space of five days, from Morris and Stephanie meeting to him eventually breaking up with her. Even though this relationship is supposed to be a core part of the story, Larson seems to only feel like a bit part, maybe 3 or 4 scenes at the most. Maybe this is because we spend so much time in the other parts of Morris’ messed up, middle aged life that their story gets pushed to the side every now and then.
Room
I get that Jack is meant to be the central character of this film but I have a really unpopular opinion. I can’t stand the child! He’s so annoying and such a little brat. Anyway, he isn’t the main focus of this article. When it comes to Brie’s character of Ma, I am filled with so much emotion. We find out much earlier than I thought we would why she’s in the room, and it was more sinister than I expected. Jack knows no different to the ‘room’ but Ma, or Joy, did and it is heart-breaking that she had been in there for 7 years! I actually cried when they go back to the house because I panicked that she may have been dead and Jack was too late to save her. Here’s the most important part for me though. For the first hour, you see the adult that has been raising her son alone in a single room for 5 years but when Joy is back home again, the teenager that she never got to be starts shining through and that is a credit to Brie’s acting in my opinion.
Short Term 12
I would like to describe this film as more of an ensemble film. Yes, Brie is, as far as I can tell, supposed to be the lead character – however I think everyone pulls their weight to the same level (including Stephanie Beatriz and Rami Malik). This is one of those films that if it was shown on TV would be followed by the voiceover at the end saying ‘if you have been affected by anything you have just seen…’ because it tackles so many different issues, including sexual abuse and self-harm. I guess Brie’s character, Grace, can be seen as being similar to that of Ma/Joy in Room but I think maybe this is because in a way Brie is good at playing the slightly damaged character.
Honorary Mentions
As I mentioned in the beginning, before her role as Captain Marv-El and my choice to write this article, I had very little knowledge of Brie Larsson as an actress. Little did I know, I actually own two of the films she made before being cast in this role, Free Fire and Kong: Skull Island (the latter where she stars alongside another featured actor of this ‘Before They Were Marvel-ous Heroes’ section – Tom Hiddleston.)
