The Road
“The Road” was directed by Australian director John Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall. It stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as father and son in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. They struggle to survive a number of years after an ambiguous devastating catastrophe has destroyed civilization, plant life, and nearly wiped out all of mankind. With the scarcity of food and shelter, they continue to travel from town to town scavenging for any resources while trying to avoid a band of cannibals. The theme of morality and humanity comes into play in this film in such a powerful way that will send chills up your spine. I was grinding my teeth, pulling my hair, shuffling my feet, and squinting with every progressing scene. I honestly was not prepared to see this film and knowing that I had not watched the trailer, I did not know what to expect. Even while I was holding my breath through half the film, the film itself was a breath of fresh air. My constant fear was a reminder of how raw and important this film really is. It consumes and cuts through you like a knife making you confront your most deepest and unimaginable fear about humanity’s fervent capacity to persist and persevere. I left the theater with a swirling headache of shock and awe. I’m still shaken by some of the scenes and incidents that occurred in the film. Don’t worry, there’s no blood but just raw emotions fusing and pulsating out of the screen and into your body. This is possibly one of the most compelling and commanding films to come out in 2009.
I haven’t read any of Cormac McCarthy’s books but knowing that literary critic Harold Bloom named him as one of the four major American novelist of his time, says a lot. It is no wonder that his latest book was adapted into this film. His previous novel “No Country for Old Men” was adapted to a film as well by the Coen Brothers back in 2007. And his 1985 novel “Blood Meridian” is named one of the top 100 best English-language books between 1923 to 2005 by “Time” magazine. “Blood Meridian” is also getting adapted into a film by producer Scott Rudin and is planned for a 2011 release.