SusannahTHE ROAD
November 29th 2010 05:27
The Road (2009)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron.
Directed by: John Hillcoat
The Road is a pretty depressing movie. As you can expect with a post-apocalyptic film the happy moments are few and far between. If you are looking for something that will make you feel better about the world, and the human condition, then The Road is not the film for you.
Based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy, the central tenet of The Road is the relationship between Man (Viggo Mortensen), and his son, Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee), as they fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Human civilisation (at least in the United States of America) has been decimated by an unnamed event. Cities lie in charred grey ruins, and all animal life has died. Plants will not grow in the soil, and the forests are husks. With the canned food supplies gradually diminished in the 12 years since the event, some of the survivors have resorted to cannibalism, as the only alternative food supply is other people. Man and Boy gradually venture south as the winters get colder, looking for a warmer climate.
The film looks amazing. The post-apocalyptic landscape is fully realised, with a consistent colour-palette of washed out colours depicting this bleak new world under a continuously roiling, stormy sky. Man and Boy travel through the countryside on The Road of the title. The Sun is never seen.
Ever conscious of the dwindling supply of food and the perpetual threat running into other people poses, Man does his best to educate Boy about the perils of this world (the only world Boy has ever known), and how to survive it. Flashbacks reveal Boy to have been born the same night as the apocalypse. His mother, Woman (Charlize Theron), could only face this world for a few years before she decided that ending it would be a better fate. In case it ever becomes too much to bear, or they are faced with a fate worse than death, Man has a gun with two bullets: one for him and one for Boy. But will he have the courage to kill his own son when the time comes?
This is humanity at its absolute worst and this is indeed a dangerous new world that Man must prepare Boy for. Although there seems to be hardly any people around, those that they encounter are ruthless for the most part, or paranoid. From people being gunned down, to the sequence with the “pantry” (truly horrific), this is one of the bleakest of all possible worlds and one questions whether there is room for humanity in it.
It is gradually revealed that Man is dying. He is concerned that Boy must continue to live in a world so devoid of principles and morality without his protection. Therefore he must teach Boy everything he knows before he dies. McCarthy wrote this book with his own son in mind, conscious of the fact that he may not be around to help his young son when he grows older. The filmmakers have endeavoured to stay as true to the book as possible, with much of the dialogue copied straight from the page. Mortensen and Smit-McPhee have both created convincing characters that share a strong, touching, father and son bond. But such is Man’s desire to protect Boy that his protection boarders on paranoia, and may in fact be hindering Boy’s progress, instead of helping.
Best line in the movie comes right at the end, directed at Boy: “you’re a bit weirded out, aren’t cha kid?” But who could grow up normal in the world of The Road? It is a credit to Man that Boy is able to carry the “fire,” in spite of everything he has witnessed. The Road is a gruelling experience, if only because it has a very real possibility of actually happening in the future. For that reason it is the scariest of movies.
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Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron.
Directed by: John Hillcoat
The Road is a pretty depressing movie. As you can expect with a post-apocalyptic film the happy moments are few and far between. If you are looking for something that will make you feel better about the world, and the human condition, then The Road is not the film for you.
Based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy, the central tenet of The Road is the relationship between Man (Viggo Mortensen), and his son, Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee), as they fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Human civilisation (at least in the United States of America) has been decimated by an unnamed event. Cities lie in charred grey ruins, and all animal life has died. Plants will not grow in the soil, and the forests are husks. With the canned food supplies gradually diminished in the 12 years since the event, some of the survivors have resorted to cannibalism, as the only alternative food supply is other people. Man and Boy gradually venture south as the winters get colder, looking for a warmer climate.
Viggo Mortensen in The Road
The film looks amazing. The post-apocalyptic landscape is fully realised, with a consistent colour-palette of washed out colours depicting this bleak new world under a continuously roiling, stormy sky. Man and Boy travel through the countryside on The Road of the title. The Sun is never seen.
Ever conscious of the dwindling supply of food and the perpetual threat running into other people poses, Man does his best to educate Boy about the perils of this world (the only world Boy has ever known), and how to survive it. Flashbacks reveal Boy to have been born the same night as the apocalypse. His mother, Woman (Charlize Theron), could only face this world for a few years before she decided that ending it would be a better fate. In case it ever becomes too much to bear, or they are faced with a fate worse than death, Man has a gun with two bullets: one for him and one for Boy. But will he have the courage to kill his own son when the time comes?
The Road
This is humanity at its absolute worst and this is indeed a dangerous new world that Man must prepare Boy for. Although there seems to be hardly any people around, those that they encounter are ruthless for the most part, or paranoid. From people being gunned down, to the sequence with the “pantry” (truly horrific), this is one of the bleakest of all possible worlds and one questions whether there is room for humanity in it.
It is gradually revealed that Man is dying. He is concerned that Boy must continue to live in a world so devoid of principles and morality without his protection. Therefore he must teach Boy everything he knows before he dies. McCarthy wrote this book with his own son in mind, conscious of the fact that he may not be around to help his young son when he grows older. The filmmakers have endeavoured to stay as true to the book as possible, with much of the dialogue copied straight from the page. Mortensen and Smit-McPhee have both created convincing characters that share a strong, touching, father and son bond. But such is Man’s desire to protect Boy that his protection boarders on paranoia, and may in fact be hindering Boy’s progress, instead of helping.
Man and Boy in The Road
Best line in the movie comes right at the end, directed at Boy: “you’re a bit weirded out, aren’t cha kid?” But who could grow up normal in the world of The Road? It is a credit to Man that Boy is able to carry the “fire,” in spite of everything he has witnessed. The Road is a gruelling experience, if only because it has a very real possibility of actually happening in the future. For that reason it is the scariest of movies.
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