Someone told me The Road, “…started dark and stayed dark and I loved it!” My first thought was, “okay…what a sadist!” My next thought, after viewing the film was: “WOW…he wasn’t only right, he was UNBELIEVABLY DEAD ON!” (no pun intended!) The Road, does indeed, start dark…stay dark and flaunt dark throughout.
It’s another “aftermath” flick. The world, as we know it, has been obliterated. It’s cut from the same recent post-apocalypse tails, ranging from 9 to The Book of Eli. Left behind are the unfortunate few, including a father and son (Viggo Motensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee).
In The Road, the world has been reduced to the very foundation of Maslow’s chart. You can forget about the top four in the heirarchy. This is all about those basic physiological needs: air, food, water, etc. With animals all but extinct, food is incredibly scarce and cannibalism is running rampant. Bands of humans seek to catch and eat their prey.
With that in mind, no place is really safe and no one is to be trusted. At least that is the dad’s take on the matter. He’s taught his young son (age eight or so) that they are the good guys. Everyone else is bad; and, for the most part, he’s right. His son sees something else: the potential for good in others. Of course, this is something that could greatly benefit those who share a belief in the unspoken, and rarely followed, new first commandment: Thou shalt not eat others. Unfortunately, most seem to stick to the dad’s philosophy where division has meant being easily conquered. Meanwhile, the pair attempt to make their way south to the ocean. Why? Not sure…but that is the plan and everyone needs a road to follow.
All in all, I really liked this flick. Four-stars easy. It’s brilliantly acted. Mortensen and Smit-McPhee are both tremendous. Robert Duvall, who has a brief extended cameo, is equally tremendous. Furthermore, I liked Book of Eli, but this was even better. There seemed to be a lot of gratuitous violence in Eli that didn’t exist in The Road. Sure there was violence, but it seemed to serve as a reflection of the culture and not just as a fanciful action sequence.
The Road provides much food for thought. It’s a movie that really invited me into that environment. What would I do? How would I react? In this particular post-apocalypse, it seems that humanity has been left without any sense of spirituality. I’ve often been critical of organized religion for basically missing the point of Jesus’ compassion-centered message.Growing up in the Church of Christ, (…yeah, that’s the one that tells the Southern Baptists that they are going to hell) I got a good dose of fundamentalism. However, that upbringing, as much as I challenge aspects of that school of thought now, did lay a positive, albeit judgmental, foundation (don’t worry, I broke away from the judgmental aspects!!!). In The Road, it seems that all aspects of spirituality went kaboom with the rest of civilization. Everything has been reduced to the bare essentials. The inviting question becomes: How would I react? Like the dad—paranoid; or like the son—cautious, but willing to help, offer compassion and love. Strong and powerful stuff, indeed.
The Road is not a light-hearted flick, so be prepared. It is, however, quite powerful and thought provoking. Enjoy this 4-Star with caution!
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P.S. The yard is mowed…I even pressure washed a little so now I’m firing up the grill to soak in the Memorial Day weekend! Enjoy everyone…
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