The Trailer:
Director: John Hillcoat
Cast: Viggo Mortenson, Kodi Smit-McPhee, & Charlize Theron
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a Father (Viggo Mortenson) and Son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journey south to the sea.
This is a two hour long heart twister. I have never watched a film so desolate, lonely, and bleak. My heart was in it from the moment it began and was crushed ever so slowly up until the very end where it was shattered completely. Every element of The Road is wonderfully crafted and spectacularly made. It's a truly remarkable film.
The basic plot is a Father and Son— whose names are never revealed— traveling south to escape the increasingly cold winters they've been facing since the apocalypse. It is also never revealed what happened to leave the world in such a desolate state. It just is and we have to accept it. That's a good choice on the writer's part to leave that out, as the story isn't meant to focus on that, it's meant to focus on the ever-changing bond between Father and Son during their journey. It's also a smart choice to leave out the names of our protagonists because this Father and Son could be any father and son, could be any parent and child. The Road is a reminder of the lengths a parent will go to in order to protect his/her children from the dangers of the world, not just a post-apocalyptic one. And how in most cases the parent will become exactly what they are trying to protect their children from. It's a sad and strange dichotomy to be both protector and monster. This theme is brought up often throughout the film: is the Father a good guy protecting his son or is he a bad guy doing terrible things in the name of survival? It's a debate that the Son has to grapple with quite often, and is sometimes left in shock at the answers he comes up with. At times the Son believes his Father to be good, other times he is afraid of what his Father is becoming. This leads to the Father having to constantly explain himself to the Son. And we are heartbroken at seeing this constant flux of trust and mistrust between them, because we can see why the Father does the things he does and we can also see why the Son is upset by them. Viggo Mortenson as the Father is fantastic. You can see how easily he conjures up sadness, and pain, and anger as this lonely father who carries guilt with him for raising his child in such dire conditions and knowing that one day he will no longer be there to protect him. Kodi Smit-McPhee is wonderful as this sheltered child who carries with him this hope that once at the sea, everything will be better, though at times he can be a tad bit annoying with his whiny-ness and incessant need to validate their roles as the good guys. In any case, both put on brave, realistic, performances worthy of applause. Charlize Theron portrays the Boy's Mother who is both detached and guilt-ridden for bringing a child into this desolate world. Though she is only on screen for a short time—for about the first forty minutes or so, and only through flashbacks—, she is just as impressive as Viggo Mortenson as a parental figure.
The visual of the film can be a bit overwhelming at times as it is so depressing and monochromatic. There is nothing to excite the eyes, except for a few fleeting scenes of life before the apocalypse. The world is all brown and dark and grimy. It's lonely, save for a few sparse gangs of cannibals or thieves. This is a realistic look at an apocalypse. Both Father and Son are filthy, emaciated, and genuinely look as though they've been without food and shelter for years. But due to this earth-toned monochromical filter and the constant struggle with no hope in sight, the film can feel a bit long. It's never boring, but it's also never fun, you know? Also, my biggest question during their journey was: what was their endgame? What were they anticipating to discover at the sea? My question was never answered, which bothers me even now.
Other than that, I was pleased with The Road. It's not some action-packed zombie apocalypse, or 'let's-overthrow-the-government" apocalypse, or even an alien invasion apocalypse. It's the poignant story of a father's unending love for his child, and who will do anything to ensure his child's future. It's a great film, but the kind of movie that only needs to be viewed once. I mean, who wants to watch such heartbreaking, bleakness more than once? Not me. But I do recommend you watch it if you've never seen it.
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