The Road

I recently saw The Road. It came out this year (but did not have a very wide release). The screenplay was adapted by Joe Penhall,  and it was directed by John Hillcoat. It is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. The film follows a father and son as they travel after the world has been destroyed by great fires. Few have survived. Everyone's two main objectives are staying warm and finding food. The sky is gray. No plants of any kind have survived. Some have resorted to cannibalism.

I really enjoyed this film. Very little was said, and very little was explained. The world in the film is almost completely deserted. Few have survived the fire. Even fewer have survived the aftermath. The cast for the film was small, but each of the performances (no matter how small the cameos) were extremely powerful. The boy was played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. He gave an amazing performance, though I wasn't surprised, because he was also amazing in Romulus, My Father. The cast included Molly Parker, Garret Dillahunt, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, and Viggo Mortensen. I was probably most surprised by Mortensen's performance. I have seen him give brilliant performances before, but this was probably the most moving. I have never really seen him take on a role of this kind before. I was extremely surprised and very pleased.

I have never read the novel, so I am not sure how true the film is to the story, but I am definitely interested in reading it now. I would recommend this film to anyone. It is definitely a must-see!

Have any of you seen it? Leave your thoughts in the comments.