The Road review
A father and son strive to stay alive in a depressing post apocalyptic world blessed with an added bonus of rampant cannibalism.
The broken sets, bleak scenery, atmospheric cinematography and desaturated post-production combine for a perfect, spooky look and a very believable dead world while Viggo Mortensen plays a complex range of emotions convincingly, evoking necessary sympathy with his character. The kid playing his “papa” this, “papa” that offspring is less convincing or likeable, giving some reason to cheer on the cannibals. Or willing Viggo, who must have been on a strict rice cake and low calorie cardboard diet in the months before shooting, to opt for a tasty, meaty treat. Luckily, with an open ending, you can believe that the boy ended up in a pie, at least.
There is no progressive plot beyond world goes bad, couple has child, mother flips out, and, predominantly, father and kid Keep On Truckin’. The interest lies in a series of encounters (cannibalistic and otherwise) and mini-stories (like the ingenious family who keep bipedal food in their cellar) and they are, largely, interesting and thought-provoking.
17th Jan 2010 | Official site | On IMDb
I enjoyed this but I probably could have picked a better Valentine's Night movie. D'oh!
matt, 16th Feb 2010