The Road

I have read that this film has split many critics. Its bleak story line has turned many people off I think. Well this is my opinion.

While the story is fairly bleak and in some ways a little depressing, I thought it was very inspiring. Watching this father and son struggle through a harsh landscape and overcome various obstacles makes it not as bad as you may think. While it is not the film to choose when looking for a fun night out at the cinema, it's not the bleak piece of misery that it is made out to be. I have not read the book so cannot compare but the flashback scenes with the mother were not in the book. I found them to be quite powerful as we get a better insight into the father and his commitment to his son. He lost his wife and so all responsibility falls to him. I also think it may have been a way to inject some estrogen into the film as it may have gone too blokey otherwise. The father and son do not have very many encounters with other people in the film. I expected them to find more survivors but that was OK.


This is one of those films that screams Oscar. The roles are pretty much that too. I could approach it with the jaded view that Viggo Mortenson has rolled around in the mud and done a bit of road walking with the intention of getting an award. But I'm not that cynical (well maybe a little). Viggo is excellent though and his relationship with Kodi is great. Overseas readers may not know of Kodi Smit-McPhee but he was in an excellent Australian film 'Romulus, My Father' and this is his first big overseas film. Kodi is a great young actor and I hope he chooses more roles like this that showcase is amazing acting ability at such a young age. I was quite impressed by Robert Duvall's cameo appearance in the film and for me was the best of the cameos.


The end of the film leaves it open for a sequel. I would like to see what happens to the boy in say 10 years. I know it won't happen but would be something I'd like to see.