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The road to theaters hasn’t been an easy one for director John Hillcoat’s The Road. Originally scheduled for release in late 2008, the post-apocalyptic drama has been bumped again and again (currently three times and counting—since it still hasn’t opened in most markets). Really, any number of factors could be to blame. Some say it’s because of studio politics. Others suggest budget constraints. But, if you ask me, it’s just because there’s no audience for it.
Viggo Mortensen stars as a man who’s traveling through a dark and dreary world with his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Food is scarce, and cannibals are everywhere, so their goal is simply survival.
Ever since the night when the fires started—when the world began to die—the only thing that has mattered to the man is his family. And since his wife (Charlize Theron) is gone, his son is all he has left. So, together, they walk, heading south to the coast, dragging their belongings with them in a cart, and trying their best to avoid the “bad guys” along the way.
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (who also wrote the novel behind the Coens’ No Country for Old Men), The Road is a long and dreary film, painted in a palette of dust and ash. It’s heavy and repetitive—and, aside from a couple of half-hearted run-ins with cannibals, not a whole lot happens. But while some directors might use such a quiet, barren setting to create an eerie backdrop for a poignant drama, Hillcoat leaves it at that: just a quiet, barren setting for a quiet, barren movie.
Though I haven’t read the novel, I’ve heard that it’s absolutely excruciating—a devastating emotional journey. But that’s not the case with the film. Oh, it’s still excruciating—but emotionally, it’s as drab and desolate as its landscape. Not only are the characters nameless, but they’re rather flat and detached, too. And even after two hours of following them through nothingness, you won’t care all that much about them.
Meanwhile, with nothing else to connect to, you’ll have plenty of time to ponder those nagging little questions, like What brought about the Apocalypse in the first place? or If it’s still raining this much, why is everything dead? or Why is the cart with them in some scenes but not in others?
The Road could have been a powerful drama—one that leaves its audience feeling…well, anything. Hope, perhaps. Or maybe even sadness. Instead, the closing credits bring little more than a feeling of relief.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.