The Road

So another post-apocalyptic film release, now not saying I'm not a fan of these style of films, but recently it just seems like an excuse to throw is some sweeping CG shots.

From just even looking at the trailer for 'The Road' directed by John Hillcoat is was obvious this was something that wasn't going to follow this trend. Yes we get the odd CG shot to establish they are living in this type of world but the rest really is done by character depth and the cinematography of the film.

Now the basis of the story is a boy and his 'papa' on the road trying to survive in a dying world. They can trust no one apart from themselves as this world has turned most people into cannibals and thieves.

I think from about ten minutes into the film I was just amazed at how amazing this film really was, we had barely started on the journey in the film and the characters felt real with plenty of depth and well the plot felt raw and real. The story was so self contained around these two characters but as a member of the audience I never felt bored or felt like I needed more from this film. Yes it did seem odd that they came across very few refugee's at times but that is just being extremely picky.

I felt the cinematography of this film did make this film what it is, watching it you just felt cold. I felt like jumping into a hot bath at the end of the film. The bland muddy colours with the constant grey skies which gradually got darker and darker over time really did add that extra dimension to this film. If it had just been father and son traveling down this road with blue skies and the sun on their faces, well lets jut not even go there.

This film was a film I had to build myself up to go and see, from what other people said about it destroying them emotionally. I could never find a day were in I was ready to be taken apart in such a manner. Who really wants to be put in a downer after a day at university or work? Not me to be sure.

Me and Paul just decided to go for it in the end, and what I can say is yes its a very bleak no relief style of film. But its very strange although its bleak from start to finish we are never really taken to that level of shear emotional destruction. You could argue we are at times in the movie taken to this level, but its very fast at taking us back to normal bleak-ness we as the audience are never made to suffer too long at any great length. This adds the tension the film has done so very well, if it was just scene after scene of them being in danger the risk well wears off on us. We become desensitised that we can just sit back and know they are going to be fine, the fact this film only puts them into real pearl a few times makes this tension work so much more effectively.

Some might say this is a bad thing? no is the answer. Then all you are left with is a film obviously trying to hard and it becomes one of those films you look at and think, they only made this film to scoop a few awards. The story of just these two characters living day by day is enough, its real and helps you connect alot more with them, its not all 'oh the drama' in every second scene.

Its believable and well down right brilliance, it really makes 'The book of The Bible...sorry Eli' have I just ruined that for you? oh wells! Don't throw your religious propaganda film at me in a convert manner!

Anyways! back to the point, a brilliant film with some really award winning performances put into it, a plot that rings true with no obvious flaws to it. Well they had to fund the movie some how, they wrote in the coke placement as well as anyone could really.

I think the characters of the father and son really did just feed of one another, I loved the little touches such as the little boy wearing his mothers hat. Its just the little things like this that made this film what it is. They felt real and you really did feel empathy for the father and how he constantly needs to be on the ball to look after his son. One mistake and they are done for, you really do get a sense for this in his performance. You really did feel like he has been looking after this boy for a number of years and has had to protect him from this world on more than one occasion. Yes the little boys 'weeping' does become rather irritating and times, but only very rarely.

Now flaws...After walking away knowing I had seen an amazing picture, I did feel somewhat empty in the fact that I didn't really feel like I had been taken on a big enough journey. We know they are heading to the cost but we only see the map once. You never really get a sense of were they are really heading to at any one time. They are constantly on the move but, well I just didn't get that entire feeling of being on a journey.

This was my only real problem with the film. Not a real good sense of film geography during this movie, I felt I needed to know more where they were and how far away from the coast they were, so in those moments of pearl and such you can get extra feeling of 'But their so close!' This can be over looked just from the rest of the film being something really special, now theres a word I haven't used to describe a film before. Special?

Watch it, see for youself how cinema should be made. I counted all of about 3/4 CG shots in the entire movie and it felt more like the end of the world than any post-apocalyptic move I have ever seen by a mile...and a half...and three quarters.