(2009) ***More drama than horror, The Road follows a man and his son as they try to survive in a bleak and dying world. Unlike Landshark I did not read this book so my opinion of it is cast solely on the film. We learn quickly that the sun is dying which in turn is killing the planet. There really is no hope here, crops cannot grow so food cannot be replenished. The only people left are those few with strong survival instinct milling about for canned goods or any scraps left over from their former life and the ones who have gone cannibal. It's the latter that pose the biggest threat to our pair. The film is filled with flashbacks to life before and during the first phases of the catastrophe. These flashes go back to before the boys birth through the death of his mother. Most of these type of film have a final destiny or goal but there really is no place to go here. The world is dying, it's just a matter of survival until fate finally takes it's toll. I liked the film but I'm not so sure it was a horror so as a horror I only gave it three stars. As a drama I might have rated it a little higher but the film is joyless. It's hard to warm up to a film that is bleak from beginning to end. Even Schindler's List had the upside of those who did make it out and were saved. There is no saving grace here, only prolonging the inevitable. The acting is true to character and I felt for the Father in such a horrible predicament. The set and camerawork is amazing, this is truly a dying world.
5 comments:
"Even Schindler's List had the upside of those who did make it out and were saved."
It really takes a lot for a movie to be more depressing than Schindler's list. Not that I disagree, but it seems like that could have been a humorous tagline for this film.
"More depressing than Schindler's List!"
heh -- that's like jsp's comment about zombie diaries. on the back of the box it touts itself as being better than 28 days later.
"The Road -- You'll cry harder than Steel Magnolias."
You guys are killing me.
Nice review, Cat.
Though I thought the sun was just being blocked out by all the ash in the atmosphere due to whatever nuclear shitstorm man cooked up.
So I do see the ending as at least holding out the possibility of hope. If that new family can stay together and alive, maybe the sun will return.
But yeah, it's not a horror movie.
I believe in the film they said it was burning out and the world was growing colder.
I tried to look up the sun thing on Wiki but I haven't seen or read The Road and I didn't want to ruin anything. Movie summary just implied the sun was obscured, the book summary was even less specific.
I'm trying to think of funny depressing movies to compare this to, but the truth is I'm so reluctant to take on purely depressing movies I can't think of any I've actually seen. Dancer in the Dark? Nope. Requiem for a Dream? Nope. Terms of Endearment? Nope.
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