‘The Road’: A Different, Intimate Post-Apocalyptic Film

Director: John Hillcoat
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Rated: R

*This is a review from the London Film Festival. This film will release in the US on Nov. 25th.

The end of the world is not a very ‘new’ topic in the film world.  With cinema like I Am Legend to another upcoming apocalyptic festival, 2012, the genre itself seems pretty full as of late.  The Road is another entry into the over saturated genre, yet the approach diverges from the norm in that it does not focus on the effects or the reasons behind the film’s apocalyptic setting but is about a father and son’s struggle for survival as the earth decays.  This unique perspective, adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s book, gives the film not only an original twist but a strong opportunity to study the thematic and emotional elements of the characters, even if it mired by a plot that seems overtly long and repetitive.

The Road follows a nameless father (Viggo Mortenson) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they traverse through a post-apocalyptic world.  Nearly all the animals had been killed with a lack of food and little reason to believe there is sustainability of life anywhere to be found.  What keeps them going is to traverse to the ocean in hopes of finding an answer or at least more supplies for survival.  Their travels lead them through many treacherous paths and tense moments not only with others but between themselves as they both try to understand their own meanings of life and core emotional values that become necessities in a world so cold and blank.

The biggest problems the film run into is the plot structure and pacing itself.  As unique as the premise may be, the plot never really matches the great characterization unfolding on screen.  The structure is set up as a combination of various aspects, starting with a lot of flashbacks and voiceovers and ending with dream sequences and many landscape shots.  This variety keeps the viewer interested and clued into bits and parts of the past and its understandable they are not the main feature of the film, yet they are so few and far between usually that they seem a bit too random and juts out from the central story, bringing the viewer out of the experience of the main journey.

This coincides though with the other frustrating side of the story in that the film has a really inconsistent beat and rhythm to the plot’s flow.  Director Hillcoat really seems to want the audience to understand the environment and atmosphere, both the hollow emptiness as the world withers away and the tense points in meeting a group of strangers.  For the first half, this inconsistent beat is understandable in representing this to the audience yet as the film moves to its climax, this same flow in the second act onward seems more repetitive than atmospheric and starts to drag the plot, much to the point where it must be stated that the film feels too long.  Just to note, as well, the special effects, even for a film not focusing on bombastic moments, is not convincing and the few moments the film does call for it, these effects take the viewers out of the experience.  [One other note that really doesn’t affect the film critique itself is the amount of blatant product placement which tries to pass itself naturally off as items from before the world started to tear itself apart, yet it really is everywhere and is a bit bothersome.]

However, the film allows itself to really flourish in its characters and complex themes.  Because the film is so focused on its protagonists, with nearly every shot including both the father and son in some sense, character development really become the making-or-breaking point to be effective and it does deliver in this regards.  Actors Mortenson and McPhee have great chemistry together as father and son, which may start off a bit obtuse but builds into a touching and poignant relationship.  Mortenson, especially and as always, puts in a lot of effort in his role and truly gives himself to the screen with his disheveled look and a personality that ranges from caring father to a surviving human.

The script that is written for them also is an important contributing factor that evokes a multitude of themes that really give the film its unique and effective angle.  From the son learning what it means to live when so many others commit suicide in a world of uncertainty to distinguishing between what is truly good or evil, the film plays with heavy themes that are taken a step further due to the post-apocalyptic environment and explored in fairly great detail.  Viewers will have to question their own moral judgments with scenes such as where the father teaches the boy how to commit suicide with a gun when faced with danger (in one of the more disturbing and effective scenes in the movie) and especially here, the movie shines best.

One other notable aspect is the wonderful lighting and location scouting.  The film has a consistent dreary look and filter that supports the sense of despair and loneliness that pervades the film.  However, not only is it easily visible, especially with the constant cloud cover and broken/abandoned buildings put out there, but it becomes a sort of character itself that hovers across the two protagonists like a never-ending curse and is hauntingly beautiful in a twisted sense.

In the end, The Road is a unique and painfully delicate movie that is strong on character development but uneven in terms of its pacing and dramatic impact.  Viggo Mortenson and newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee put on a wonderful and touching showcase of a father-and-son duo that adds to the already tension-filled atmosphere set by the great set location and lighting.  It is a bit unfortunate that this is marred by an uneven tempo that mars some of the more epic moments along with some dodgy special effects that underwhelms.  As flawed as the background settings might be though, The Road creates a post-apocalyptic film that is high on intimacy and forces the audience to ponder themselves, what would they do at the end of the world?

The Wie muses: *** out of *****

Ratings:
*****: Excellent
**** to ****½: Great
*** to ***½: Good
** to **½: Mediocre
* to *½: Bad
0 to ½: Terrible

The Road Youtube Trailer

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