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A post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.
Viggo Mortensen: Man
Kodi Smit-McPhee: Boy
The Road(2009) aptly adapted from Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize novel, Australian Director John Hillcoat, the man behind The Proposition, helms a virtually depressing yet intricate adaptation.
A film capturing McCarthy's elegantly worded and sensuous story that often transcends into bleak swirling repetition.
Audiences are thrown into the film's dark and ash-filtered environment in which the story's protagonist is with his son.
Witness the bleak post-apocalyptic World shown through astounding cinematography and exceptional camera work; An Apocalyptic human graveyard of loneliness. The film raises questions, and moral implications hand in hand: Can our protagonist keep up his hope and optimism? In an apocalyptic world, we can expect humans to sacrifice their humanity in the face of survival.
Spanish Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe delivers apocalyptic portraits and mysteriously sombre atmosphere in equal doses which truly equal aspiring.
This is an apocalypse thriller that's so phenomenally slow, so twisted and dark, yet the love and bond, between the father and his son, never cease to deliver the rarity of rekindled hope throughout their retrospective journey.
Indeed, Director Hillgoat has captured a beautiful father-son love story. Wonderfully delivering his lively characterizations duly as the protector and the protected. Essentially keeping each other from the coldness of loneliness and Hillgoat throughout the film keeps the atmosphere aglow with skillfully delivered delicacy.
"We are not gonna quit. We are gonna survive this,"...The Man in the story, indeed, is perpetually faced with his last chance of parenting, teaching, and preparing his son for the worst scenario to come, in a world, so deprived of life, hope and optimism. A scenario without the father in the equation.
One of the more memorable parts involve Robert Duvall's Old Man, whom provides an outlet for the two and a mediator for both man and boy. The Boy connects with his humanity by helping the old man, while his father connects with himself through the old man.
The cruel extreme flip-side of nature is shown in earlier scenes through people relying on cannibalism. Indeed, when a group of people residing at a house have locked people in their basement as their food storage one can only assume this is the extreme extent of them subduing hunger by being cannibals. Dismemberment of feet, arms and a selection of other body parts as meals truly linger in the mind in a macabre sort of cannibalistic holocaust for the unlucky victims.
The film's plot and sub-plots stay very close to McCarthy's novel. The treatment for example by Charlize Theron's character receives approval over the debatable decision to leave she took in the story. Yes, indeed, Charlize Theron's character realizes the lack of food supplies as well as the existence of only two bullets left for the family of three, and like any good mother, she makes the toughest choice in departing.
The film's usage of flashbacks for reminiscent memories shared by the Man and his wife. The Director does mention that the love story, between father and son, should also be based upon the mother's earlier influences, and that good things must always come to an end. The memories and flashbacks greatly help in conveying these points.
The persistence of love between a father and a son against the ugly backdrop of the world is depicted well by the man Viggo Mortensen and boy Kodi Smit-McPhee. More than likely this will garner Mortensen with Nominations and indeed awards in the performance stakes.
The Road is a sometimes long path to endure for it's characters as well as audiences yet the slowness only adds to the superb detail the story and breathtaking scenery has to offer. Also great talents such as Guy Pearce, Robert Duval, Garret Dillahunt, and Charlize Theron all donning appearances down The Road make this a journey and offer you cannot refuse to see.
8/10
