Directed by: John Hillcoat
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron
Cormac McCarthy’s popular novel, The Road, depicts a post-apocalyptic earth where a father and son struggle to survive. His style and form play into his tale, giving no chapters to divide the story or names for his characters. The movie adaptation definitely follows McCarthy’s path; the plot has an unusual structure, the characters are never named, and the reason for the catastrophe never mentioned. However, it seems that reviewers are only dwelling on the faithfulness to McCarthy’s violence and brutality. This is incredibly unfortunate, since the story depicts far more than the grotesque nihilism of its setting. While McCarthy’s world is certainly one of despair, death, inhumanity and void of beauty, it only makes McCarthy’s characters more interesting, and the beauty of their humanity more vibrant. And despite the setting’s nihilistic outlook, and even the father’s existential drive, there is a clear understanding of right and wrong, good and evil that is somewhat supernatural. Despite, at times, even the father’s attempt to ignore it, the boy is always the anchor of considering, not what will help you survive, but what is truly right. Although cautioned, it's a road worth traveling.
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