The Road is not a happy film. Directed by John Hillcoat and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the story takes place after a disaster of apocalyptic proportions occurs, leaving Viggo Mortensen (Man) and talented newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee (Boy), in a fight for survival. The father and son are abandoned by Woman, played by Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron who struggles to cope with disaster as the wife/mother. The film cuts back and forth between past and present, illustrating when times were happier in Man and Woman's relationship versus the gray-hued present.
The heart of the story centers around the relationship between father and son as they are faced with moral challenges in the fight to survive versus being killed off by others also struggling to stay alive. They head on a journey southbound where it is believed that hope for change awaits. Along the way, Man gives himself selflessly for the love of his son and there are quite a few moments where the emotions expressed between Mortensen and Smit-McPhee absolutely hit home. He lives unconditionally for his son despite there being no real reason to go on.
Mortensen shines in his heartfelt delivery and despite tragedy he continues to fight on with resiliency and watching the The Road, we cannot help but fall in love with him. Smit-McPhee is enchanting as a doe-eyed son who is full of wonderment at simple things we often take for granted like a can of Coke or Del Monte Fruit Cocktail. In the film, he carries on the legacy of Theron's Woman as a voice of reason to Man, even in her absence encouraging kindness despite the unkind circumstances.
This film is engaging and heartbreaking at once and Mortensen is definitely in the running for Best Lead Actor in the upcoming Oscars race, although I would still say that Michael Sheen has a bit of an edge in that category for The Damned United. I am a bit disappointed that Theron being the outstanding actress that she is, was so under-utilized here. I recognize though that this is not a fault with the film, as her character was intended by McCarthy to be in the background. It has been a while since an impacting father-son theme film has surfaced, with 2003's Big Fish coming to mind. The Weinstein Company's The Road is definitely worth a watch, opening November 27, 2009 in limited release. Grade: B+
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