One Very Depressing Road
Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy, The Road is a post apocalyptic drama with frequent earthquakes and wildfires where each day is grayer than the next, animals no longer exist, and time ceases. Directed by John Hillcoat, The Road tells the story of a man (Viggo Mortenson) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who are heading south stopping to look for food and supplies along the way. They are constantly hiding from ruthless gangs and refugees who are always looking for food-including humans. With only two bullets left in their gun and the father’s health weakening and his frequent flashbacks of his wife, he must prepare his son for a life without him. The son concerns himself with always being the good guys and insists they help others they meet even when their supplies are limited. After facing some dangers and a few blessings, the two make it to the ocean The father soon passes and the son meets a group with kids his age willing to let them travel with them.
The theme of love keeps the plot moving forward. The love the man has for his son is what drives him to stay alive and not just commit suicide like he mentions many others have done. When a member of a gang puts a knife to his son’s throat, he does not wait a second to use one of their two bullets to kill the man. His first priority is keeping his son safe even if that means using the bullets meant for them if they ever reach a time where suicide is necessary (mainly to avoid being eaten by gangs). When the father finds can of soda, he insists his son drinks it all so he can experience something from the world before the apocalypse. He sacrifices the last time he will probably come across a can of soda so his son will be able to have that small joy. He tries his best to give his son a good life in such an ugly world and to me that’s love. The son shows love towards an old man they meet, he forces his father to let him eat dinner with them, the boy says he is hungry and he is going to die if they don’t help. This happens again when they get robbed too. The father forces the robber to give them everything he has since he was able to leave them with nothing. The boy makes him turn around and give him his clothes back. Throughout the movie, the father tells his son to keep “carrying the fire’ whenever he feels like giving up and dying. Although the meaning isn’t clearly stated it is inferred that it represents desire to keep moving and hope for better. The fire for the man is his love for his son and making sure he is prepared for a life after his inevitable death. . When the father finally passes, his fire finally dies and forces the movie to end since the story follows the life of the two together.
John Hillcoat does a great job with keeping this movie similar to the book (one of my favorite books). In fact, this movie is almost exactly like the book. However, it is a pretty easy book to replicate into a movie since there is only two main characters and most of the book follows their walk to the south while facing some dangerous situations along the way. In the movie, we get more detail of the father’s wife; we see flashbacks of happier moments between the two before the apocalypse. We learn she would rather die than live in fear of being raped, killed and eaten by gangs. The gangs are more graphic in the book than in the movie. For example, the novel mentions gangs impregnating women to use their children as food; the movie leaves this gruesome image out and probably for the better. Another difference from the book is instead of seeing fish in the stream, they saw a beetle in a chewing tobacco can. In a world where the only thing known to still exist is humans, any other sign of life is a huge surprise and sign of hope. In the novel, the two run out of food before reaching the south, in the movie, they have enough food to leave for a robber the father caught up with. The son reminded him they are the good guys and should help instead of hurt. This movie is one of the most accurate portrayals of a novel and fans of the book should not be disappointed.
A popular topic for movies is the idea of a post apocalyptic world whether it was caused by human’s own destruction, natural disasters, or even zombies. If you find yourself liking the thrill and drama of a post apocalyptic movie like The Road, I recommend Here Alone directed by Rod Blackhurst. Ann lives an isolated life inside the woods, hiding from blood-thirsty people infected by a rage-inducing virus. Dealing with flashbacks of her husband and infant daughter, she must travel to a neighboring town to gather a food supply. Similar to The Road, frequent flashbacks of the life before haunts the main characters. Flashbacks seem to be a common in movies about the end of the world and usually used to fill in a crucial backstory that adds to the story’s plot. Another example of this is in the movie I Am Legend, a man and his dog surviving in a zombie dominate world. He has frequent flashbacks of his wife, son, and how the zombie-like creatures came to be. Flashbacks mainly show how the world came to an end and to draw emotion from the audience with heart-wrenching stories of losing loved ones. Instead of just showing the struggles someone faces in a destroyed world, using flashbacks enables a movie like this to evoke other emotions besides fear in an audience. The use of flashbacks made The Road and many movies like this more enjoyable and entertaining to watch.
Accuracy towards the book and the effects of using flashbacks are not the only elements that make The Road an excellent movie. Viggo Mortenson and Kodi Smit-McPhee as man and son really put the movie together. They can easily be pictured as the characters in the novel . Mortenson, with a history in thrillers and dramas, makes him a perfect pick for this role. As one of his first movies, Smit-McPhee gave a believable performance at the young age of thirteen. Overall, The Road is a powerful story and a well made movie. Grade:A
