Road To Nowhere

When I went to the cinema to see Avatar, I was left disappointed. I had not realised demand would still be so high a month after its release. Not to be deterred, I checked out the new, smaller cinema opened in Wimbledon. No Avatar, but ‘The Road’ was on in less than an hour. Was it worth the wait?

The response must be a resounding ‘yes’. The film was surprisingly uplifting overall considering its subject material. Perhaps, though, I just felt happy to live in a normal, peaceful world. One unlike the one in ‘The Road’- it is set in a post-apocalyptic America (although borders could hardly still exist). The nature of the tragedy is unspecified – the movie is much more concerned with the father-son relationship at the centre of all proceedings.

We never leave their side. We never get an empowering, enlightening overview of the worldwide carnage. That way, the film remains a personal affair and we learn as much and as little as they do.

This lack of outside distractions helps keep focus on them, their frightened and insular little society.

Until the reel cuts out, as it did during my showing – a power cut eerily appropriate to the genre. Back with them, horrors pile up. For example, both man and boy venture into an underground tunnel. Here they find living, but mutilated, humans – victims of an apparent wave of cannibalism consuming the people of the day.

On another occasion, father pulls the blanket off a charred skeleton in bed in an abandoned house. His only comfort to his boy, that it is, “nothing you haven’t seen before”. Since father is not usually cruel, this represents the disturbing reality of the day – boy needs to learn to confront day-to-day terrors.

One element of hope remains in the film – reaching the coast. When they arrive it is a dreary and ashen gray – like most of the production. Soon father (a convincing Viggo Mortesen) dies. The film appears to be heading to a subdued, depressing ending.

However, a heavily armed man acquires the lonely son’s trust. He has a family – complete with kids and a dog. Something distinctly normal represents the great redemptive force of the film. The ending felt well-timed as well – as well as offering a bit of a twist (which I will not disclose).

Best of all, the film improved on the book – a fairly rare occurrence, and one that deserves praise. It managed to take the rather skeletal story and add a bit of visual meat which really did it justice – despite the overly-dull-grey overtones.