The Road (B or 3/4 stars)
I've been anticipating 'The Road', directed by John Hillcoat, for quite some time. Written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men), I figured that creating something cinematic from this particular author/book was going to be difficult. I've actually read the book (shocker, I know). I've seen the trailers for over a year (the film was intended for an '08 release). So, yeah. I was pretty anxious while sitting in my seat last night. My consensus: very good adaptation of a bleak, grim novel. It really couldn't have been much better than it is. The film is hard to watch, at times. But it's also quietly powerful & well acted; giving us insight into human nature in the face of post-apocalyptic Earth. If you want lame-brained, razzle dazzle Earth-ending scenarios, go see the bloated 2012.
This film begins by showing us (not with images, but stirring facial reactions) a unspecified cataclysm that has begun to ruin the world. The reason for this cataclysm is perfunctory to the story at hand. 'The Road' follows 2 characters: Father & Son (Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they try to survive the day-to-day by any means possible. The world is plagued by a sunless sky, & ash-covered topography. Everything is ravaged. The land, the buildings ... all toppled, charred, & deserted. And the Son's entire life has been defined by the Earth's "Fall". His Mother (a brief, but solid Charlize Theron), who didn't even give birth to him til after the cataclysm, is gone. As we see in flashbacks, she is inundated with despair - leading to her abandonment of her family in the long, dark night.
Father & Son wander fearfully through abandoned roads with 2 goals in mind: 1) survive 2) make it South to the coast; if God exists, salvation will be at the coast. There are dangers everywhere: starvation, disease, earthquakes, freezing temperatures, falling forests, & most terrifying of all - lawless, cannibalistic gangs (the line btwn. animal & human blurred). All our duo has is one pistol (with 2 soul-saving bullets), a cart of scavenged items, & each other. The film includes one momentary respite; when our duo find an intact shelter filled with food & supplies. It's one of the few times we get to see Father & Son sort-of relax, clean-up, & enjoy themselves. But the respite is short-lived; as organized militants are constantly on their tail. Along their odyssey, they encounter a smattering of refugees (including one harmless old man played by Robert Duvall). But the goal still remains - the coast. Whether salvation exists at the coast or not, could this duo survive in a world no longer capable of sustaining life? Is there any hope for humanity?
What's so amazing about this story is the unbreakable bond btwn. Father & Son. Neither would have the Will to survive (or the 'Fire', as they call it) if the other one weren't around. The Mother bailed. The Son doesn't even know what life was like before The Fall (drinking soda is a revelation for him). And the Son is the only thing that keeps the Father feeling like a human being. Mortensen & Smit-McPhee have incredibly difficult, physically demanding roles to convey; & they impressed me so very much. Mortensen always owns every role he portrays; a true chameleon of character. Watching him fight to protect his son & struggle to survive when it's so easy to give up is something to see. And Smit-McPhee felt totally natural in the Son role; no moments of artifice.
'The Road' is haunting & resonant, but not as much as the novel (where despair & loathing of human nature settles into your bones). Still, I commend this film for achieving what it has. The look of the film is incredible. The cinematography is appropriately muddy. The intended ugliness of the outdoor art direction is phenomenal. And the essence of the novel (characters, fear, hopelessness) is there ... just not on the same level as the book. I praise the film for properly conveying one of its major themes - that while civilization may be over, & giving up is an easy option ... love can endure. Overall, I am impressed by the movie, & only slightly disappointed that it isn't as uncompromisingly bleak as it should have been. As my friend Debbie noted last night, this film needed an extra 10-15 min. of terror, tension, filth, & hopelessness to warrant the hopeful, emotional wallop in the end.
This film begins by showing us (not with images, but stirring facial reactions) a unspecified cataclysm that has begun to ruin the world. The reason for this cataclysm is perfunctory to the story at hand. 'The Road' follows 2 characters: Father & Son (Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they try to survive the day-to-day by any means possible. The world is plagued by a sunless sky, & ash-covered topography. Everything is ravaged. The land, the buildings ... all toppled, charred, & deserted. And the Son's entire life has been defined by the Earth's "Fall". His Mother (a brief, but solid Charlize Theron), who didn't even give birth to him til after the cataclysm, is gone. As we see in flashbacks, she is inundated with despair - leading to her abandonment of her family in the long, dark night.
Father & Son wander fearfully through abandoned roads with 2 goals in mind: 1) survive 2) make it South to the coast; if God exists, salvation will be at the coast. There are dangers everywhere: starvation, disease, earthquakes, freezing temperatures, falling forests, & most terrifying of all - lawless, cannibalistic gangs (the line btwn. animal & human blurred). All our duo has is one pistol (with 2 soul-saving bullets), a cart of scavenged items, & each other. The film includes one momentary respite; when our duo find an intact shelter filled with food & supplies. It's one of the few times we get to see Father & Son sort-of relax, clean-up, & enjoy themselves. But the respite is short-lived; as organized militants are constantly on their tail. Along their odyssey, they encounter a smattering of refugees (including one harmless old man played by Robert Duvall). But the goal still remains - the coast. Whether salvation exists at the coast or not, could this duo survive in a world no longer capable of sustaining life? Is there any hope for humanity?
What's so amazing about this story is the unbreakable bond btwn. Father & Son. Neither would have the Will to survive (or the 'Fire', as they call it) if the other one weren't around. The Mother bailed. The Son doesn't even know what life was like before The Fall (drinking soda is a revelation for him). And the Son is the only thing that keeps the Father feeling like a human being. Mortensen & Smit-McPhee have incredibly difficult, physically demanding roles to convey; & they impressed me so very much. Mortensen always owns every role he portrays; a true chameleon of character. Watching him fight to protect his son & struggle to survive when it's so easy to give up is something to see. And Smit-McPhee felt totally natural in the Son role; no moments of artifice.
'The Road' is haunting & resonant, but not as much as the novel (where despair & loathing of human nature settles into your bones). Still, I commend this film for achieving what it has. The look of the film is incredible. The cinematography is appropriately muddy. The intended ugliness of the outdoor art direction is phenomenal. And the essence of the novel (characters, fear, hopelessness) is there ... just not on the same level as the book. I praise the film for properly conveying one of its major themes - that while civilization may be over, & giving up is an easy option ... love can endure. Overall, I am impressed by the movie, & only slightly disappointed that it isn't as uncompromisingly bleak as it should have been. As my friend Debbie noted last night, this film needed an extra 10-15 min. of terror, tension, filth, & hopelessness to warrant the hopeful, emotional wallop in the end.