My own Road of thought to emotions and humanity
With the high dose of post-apocalyptic films being released in the recent years, the most obscure of them all is by far the most meaningful. Based on the novel with the same title by Cormac McCarthy, this adaptation holds true to the message that the book so eloquently portrayed. What happens to humanity when the world falls apart? Unlike most movies about the end of the world, “The Road” portrays a much more realistic, though much less desirable, depiction of what life would be like after a worldwide catastrophe. Cannibalism, rape, and starvation are all a much more plausible aspect to what life would indeed be like, as opposed to the glorified unity of humanity in the case of almost-total destruction.
The Road
Release: 2009
Runtime: 111 mins
Director: John Hillcoat
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron
John Hillcoat directs this emotional journey of a father and his son and their travels to the coast. While on the surface the story is simply a couple of guys walking and searching for food, while avoiding thieves and cannibals, the deeper side of the film reveals so much more. The Father’s struggle for survival, contrasted with the Son’s struggle with humanity and compassion is, in essence, the very core of the human condition.
Only one character in the entire film is given a name, which doesn’t come until nearly the end. Ely, played by Robert Duvall, is an old man, barely surviving and is plagued with the same emotional struggle for humanity as the father. Ely tells the father that he hasn’t seen a child in years, and even calls the child “an Angel” at one point, alluding the fact that only children have the capacity to retain humanity in horrific times.
While the acting in the film is flawless, the very best aspect is in the writing. Even through the darkness and hopelessness of a ravaged world, the emotional portrayal of hope and humanity are put to the test, and it is through the writing that this metaphor is delivered.
The ending of the film is both tragic and hopeful at the same time, which left me both apathetic and anxious, at the same time. Even though I walked out of the theater to a beautiful warm afternoon, I had a sense of despair, which was disheartening. And although it may seem odd to compliment a movie for evoking these feelings, it is in fact, the reason why I am. Instead of walking out of the theater feeling like I just watched an hour and a half of cliche writing with a predictive, unrealistic ending, I actually got something from the film that I haven’t received from a film in quite a number of years. It made me rethink my own motivations.
