Emma Donoghue’s best-selling Room, the story of a kidnapped woman raising her son in captivity, has been adapted into a movie that looks just as harrowing as its source material. In the film, directed by Lenny Abrahamson (who also helmed last year’s acclaimed Frank), and adapted by Donoghue herself, Brie Larson plays Ma, a woman who’s held captive with her son, Jack, and allows him to believe the single room they’re being kept in is the only thing that’s real. But when she sees a chance for escape, Ma must convince Jack to help her—and pray that he isn’t overwhelmed by the outside world. The best-selling novel, which is narrated from Jack’s perspective, was short-listed for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. The movie hits theaters Oct. 16.
Read more of Slate’s coverage of Room:
