Review of The Road (2009) by Chads. — 02 Jan 2010
Some of the shots, those post-apocalyptic panoramas that the man and boy traverse, in my estimation, beg for a longer take. (A European filmmaking sensibility is needed to do the Cormac McCarthy novel justice.
) Let the images of the dead physical world linger on the screen; let the futility of their journey leave an imprint in the moviegoer's mind. Zombies should be roaming through these landscapes, not a father and his son.
The woman(Charlize Theron) knew best; the woman's wish that the boy follow her in suicide was not a selfish act. All the wildlife and vegetation are gone. She could take a hint. The father couldn't, so he subjects his son to hell on earth.
To the detriment of "The Road", hell on earth is constantly interrupted by flashbacks, a storytelling device that, in this case, gives the moviegoer a reprieve from having to deal with the sobering present.
The filmmaker should trust its audience to handle tough material, like Michael Haneke did with the much superior "Le temps du loup". In dramatizing the backstory, "The Road" becomes a sentimental road, as it overstates the obvious: the boy misses his mother, and likewise, the father misses his wife.
The film is at its best when the moviegoer can see the absurdity that goes along with living in a world, literally, where there's no future. The boy can't be a doctor, or a lawyer, but he can still be a "good guy", in which the father teaches him to just say no to cannibalism.
This review of The Road (2009) was written by Chads. on 02 Jan 2010.
The Road has generally received positive reviews.
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