Today’s quick review: The Road. Years after a nuclear holocaust ravaged the Earth, the plants and animals have died, the climate has turned cold, and humanity’s few survivors are forced to fight for the scant resources that remain. In this harsh environment, a man (Viggo Mortensen) struggles to keep his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) alive. Haunted by the memory of his lost wife (Charlize Theron), he heads for the coast, their only hope for a better home.
The Road is a postapocalyptic drama based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. The Road is a bleak and realistic portrayal of a world where humanity is all but extinct. Ruinous landscapes, dwindling food, and the constant threat of other survivors all make The Road a harrowing watch. The movie does a skilled job of bringing its world and its characters to life. However, its exceedingly bleak tone and aimless plot won’t appeal to everyone.
The Road shows a high degree of craftsmanship in its acting, world-building, and writing. Its characters are not precisely likable, but they are convincing, earning the audience’s sympathy through their suffering and what compassion they can afford. The setting has a similar impact, a mess of ruins, cannibals, and ash where no hope grows. There’s nothing unique about The Road’s vision of the apocalypse, but it sells that vision thoroughly.
Unlike other dramas, The Road doesn’t pull its punches. The plot is a series of close calls and setbacks with only a vague goal in mind. The trials the man and the boy face on their journey are brutal, ranging from grisly violence to overwhelming despair. There are a few faint embers of hope, but nowhere near enough to counterbalance the gloom. The result is a feast of narrative and moral ambiguity, a story without any of the usual crutches.
The drawback to all of this is that The Road fills a very specific niche, and it holds almost no appeal outside of it. Those who want gritty realism, who comiserate with the man and his son, or who simply relish a tale with no guarantee of a happy ending will find exactly what they’re looking for. Those who prefer tidy stories or simply want catharsis for their drama will find The Road to be a difficult watch with precious little reward.
For a dystopian drama with a clearer endpoint in mind, try Children of Men. For another postapocalyptic journey, try The Book of Eli. For the tale of a family trying to survive in a hostile world, try A Quiet Place. For a postapocalyptic zombie action movie with some of the same lonely tone, try I Am Legend. For a poignant drama with a subtler touch, try The Grave of the Fireflies.
7.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for effective drama that comes at a steep price.