THE ROAD

I can not believe that this film came out in 2010, because it seems like forever that I saw this, and to be totally honest, my memory of this film is fuzzy to say the least.  What I do remember, though, was how much I liked this film. 

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic world where an un-explained disaster has killed most of the planets inhabitants.  In amongst this now barren world, are a young boy and his father who are doing anything to survive.  They believe that if they can make it to the coast, they will find other survivors, and giving themselves a greater chance of living through this tragedy.  

The film is obviously (no pun intended) a road movie, with the father and son, meeting with a number of strange people during their journey, some of them pleasant in nature, while others are incredibly dangerous.  I must admit that I am a big fan of end-of-the-world scenarios, and what I loved most about “The Road” is the atmosphere, the constant feeling of dread, that all this may be just slowing the inevitable. 

The film was directed by John Hillcoat, whose previous film “The Proposition” was very highly regarded by most who saw it (myself included), so there was a bit of anticipation for this film.  Personally, I prefer “The Road” to “The Proposition”, but I believe that the general consensus is actually the opposite of my opinion.  While there is certainly nothing wrong with this film’s cinematography, I did miss Benoit Delhomme’s amazing work in the previous film. 

Performances are great with Viggo Mortensen doing more fine work as the father, with Australian child-actor Kodi Smit-McPhee playing the son.  These roles carry a lot of emotional weight with them and both actors pull them off effortlessly.  There is also a nice cameo by an unrecognizable Guy Pearce (who was the star of Hillcoat’s “The Proposition”) near the finale of the film. 

I must admit there was one scene that really bugged me while watching “The Road”, and that’s when the father and son come across a hidden bomb shelter filled with enough food and supplies to survive for a very long time.  It looks like they are set and will survive this Armageddon, but one night the father hears a dog barking and decides that people must be with it, so it is no longer safe to live in the bomb shelter, so they end up leaving.  I understand that paranoia would be unavoidable in a world like this, but it doesn’t ring true that a father would rather send his boy out into the unknown, instead of staying in the paradise that they have been lucky to find.  This minor quibble aside, “The Road” is a great film, but it is filled with dread and despair, so if you don’t like experiencing the darker side of life in your film viewing, you may be wise to stay away from this one.

Ranked 16 in Top 25 of 2010