Post-apocalyptic movies have brought us the joys of Road Warriors (Mad Max), mutant fish men (Waterworld), domed cities (Logan's Run) and ultra-cool Noah's Arks (2012).
Not so with John Hillcoat's The Road which presents an unnamed man and his son struggling to survive in a near deserted future where everything, including the animals, insects and plants have all but died off in a global catastrophe.
This is grim, bleak stuff which sees man and son bounce from one episodic occurance to the next, as they travel to the coast in search of, perhaps, a future. Food is rare and they spent plenty of energy scavenging for anything at all to consume. Unfortunately, food is so scarce that cannibalism has been adopted by roaving gangs as a survival method. Therefore, other people are not to be trusted either. Survival is the key.
The reason the movie isn't completely depressing is down to the great performances of Viggo Mortenson (impressively slimmed down to the point he's gonna give Christian Bale some competition) and alert and talented Kodi Smit-McPhee, as his boy. The father not only tries to pass on survivalk tips, in the eventuality he'll die, but also more spiritual advice about good and bad, hope and determination, as well as about God. However Viggo's morality and his survival philosophy aren't always compatible, leading to the occasional conflict between the two.
It's essentially a stripped down, coming of age drama with the facinating dynamic at the centre. There is some releif in all of the gloom, and never without a sence of hope for the characters. Not a joyful evening of entertainment then, but a solid drama wrapped up in a familar premise.
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