Movie Reviews  |  R  |  View Trailer  |  Dec 18, 2009

I'm not a fan of books. I usually don't read them. I don't consider it a fun way to pass my time. But sometimes I'll see a film that I enjoy so much that I'll rush out, grab the novel and fly through it. The Road was one of those films. The second I got out of the press screening, I picked up Cormac McCarthy's novel (by the same title) and read it in two days. The last time I did this was with another McCarthy adapted film, No Country For Old Men. Much like No Country, The Road is what I consider a “perfect adaptation” – adding and removing nothing at all, reorganizing and compacting the structure of the story to make it work in the film-medium. Just like it's novel and adaptation, the film version of The Road is absolutely perfect.

The Road is set along the eastern coast of the post apocalyptic United States. There's never a reason given for what caused “the end of the world,” but hints point their fingers towards a nuclear holocaust, a global warming disaster or catastrophe caused by the over-pollution of Earth. Whatever the cause may be, the world is dying; it is rapidly growing colder and colder. The sky is overcast and gray with icy clouds and falling ash. The nights are so pitch black that it's impossible to see enough to travel. Raging roaming fires have burned the world's population of already-dead trees; those trees still standing are so unstable that slightest trembles can bring an entire forest to the ground. Animals, vegetation and all plant life are dead. Food is scarce. The majority of mankind is dead. The remaining humans fall into two categories: traveling scavengers on foot who collect useful items (blankets, weapons and combustible fuel) while in search of food, and barbaric cannibalistic gangs who hunt the scavengers. The world is bleak.

Viggo Mortensen (Lord Of The Rings) plays the nameless father of a, too, nameless boy; they fall into the scavenger category. The Road simply follows The Man and The Boy on their journey south – hoping to find warmer weather – dodging the cannibals and in search of food. There has never been a stronger fiction tale exemplifying a father's love towards his son than that in The Road.

As dark and depressing as The Road may be, there is a certain hope that comes from it – making this hard-to-watch film well-worth sitting through. Although The Boy was born after the world-ending event and never knew life as we now know it, because of his father's stories and teachings, The Boy holds a forgotten humanity that doesn't exist outside the bond of him and his father. The Man is simply trying to teach The Boy how to “carry the fire” within and survive on his own for the day when The Man will no longer be with him – making The Boy the last remaining piece of humanity.

The filmmaking, directing and adaptation would be nothing without an excellent cast. Mortensen gives his best performance to date, truly conveying to you what it would be like to be a father in this scenario – often times without saying a word. Child actor Kodi Smit-McPhee brings a non-existent innocence the dead world, fully making you understand what his awful young life would be like. Even the bit characters by Charlize Theron (Monster), Robert Duvall (The Godfather), Guy Pearce (Memento) and Garret Dillahunt (The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford) stand out as noteworthy performances. Every aspect of the film fits perfectly together with the rest, making it absolutely flawless.

Considering how busy theaters will be over the next few weeks, it will be a perfect time to get out and see a little film like The Road – a film worthy of investing yourself in emotionally. I give you my word that you'll leave the theaters dwelling on the things you've just seen for days. The Road is an impressionable film that will never leave you.

Photo credit: Dimension Films