The Road

Cormac McCarthy's latest silver screen incarnation paints a bleak and despotic picture of the post-apocalyptic world undone by man's own hand.

Without fanfare or special effects, the first time director (John Hillcoat) gives us the image of hopelessness and depression within a landscape of nuclear winter induced ash, broken and burning buildings, and emaciated soulless human shells wandering in search of food and shelter.

The nuance of emotion is one of pure fear. Fear of starvation, fear of robbery, fear of rape, and worst of all, fear of death by cannibals.

McCarthy wrote this book a few years ago, and it won the Pulitzer, and was embraced by fans who respect his craft, while panned by many who saw the dystopic view too macabre. I for one appreciated the simplicity of the book, which was translated beautifully to the screen. The flaw however is the lack of substantive action. If you are looking for a love story, action scenes, or even violence, this is the wrong film for you. If you are looking for a suspenseful piece that paints what is probably the most realistic vision of mankind's future after nuclear fallout, this is the right film for you.

The story follows a man and a boy as they wander toward presumably warmer climate and toward water. They meet fellow survivors along the way; some good, some bad, one in particular is a reminder of how great an actor Robert Duvall is.

The paradox of the film is the dichotomy of spirit. The man is a survivalist, suspicious and protective of his son who is his only link to humanity. the last remaining connection to the life he had and his love (played briefly by Charlize Theron). The boy on the other hand is an innocent optimist with no memory of a life before the apocalypse. He is the one beacon of hope amidst chaos and destruction. Always carrying the torch of goodness.

Characters come and go, and there ultimately are no happy endings for anyone, which marks the realism of the situation. From the incessant coughing, to the labored movements and even the grimy hands and yellow teeth, The Road is a terrific companion piece to the novel.

Mortenson plays the man without much effort, but does so well. The boy does a nice job convincing the viewer that he is truly ignorant and frightened. The little things make the film special. Finding a dusty can of Coke, you can imagine how sweet it tastes at the first sip. Finding an abandoned bomb shelter stocked with cans of fruit cocktail is a small victory, but incredibly poignant for the characters. Finding a place to take a warm bath, you feel their joy as the dirt swirls down the drain.

Not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think there is enough happiness or substance to warrant any awards consideration. I have to admit, I was curious how they would pull off a film based on the novel, and although it did not disappoint, there was a somewhat dissatisfying feel to it. 7/10.