The Road
2009
****
Director: John Hillcoat
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Michael K. Williams, Garret Dillahunt
An unspecified cataclysmic event has killed all flora and fauna on Earth and turned some of the remaining survivors into cannibal savages. In this barren landscape, a father and son make their way towards illusive hope and try to hold onto their last ounce of humanity. This adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel is one of the grimmest and most chilling dystopias portrayed on screen. The story is extremely bleak, but the outcome is thought-provoking rather than depressing. Hillcoat has visualized the film to perfection with minimal use of computer effects. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee gives excellent performances.
