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.
