Further Research Part 2- The Road

The Road

“The Road” intense realistic drama set in a post-apocalyptic future brought on by some form of world catastrophe. It follows two characters which are father and son who are struggling with just basic survival necessities as well as countering with strangers that may or may not be cannibals. The struggles they endure are very real, very believable and what adds to the element of credibility is the fact the film is a very slow paced. The narrative constantly shows the changes in their lives by showing their present of this “end of times” world and showing their happy simple life before hand. It also shows the struggles they were having when the incident first occurred, what they had to sacrifice wasn’t that drastic compared to what they are facing now, out in the world. 

The novel was written by Cormac McCarthy who has written other intense realistic novels such as “No Country For Old Men” & “All The Pretty Horses”, the novel was adapted to a screenplay by Joe Penhall and was directed by John Hillcoat, most known for directing the drama western “The Proposition”.

The narrative follows the father and son that are on a journey around the dead world, we as an audience member are meant to experience the same as them, and feel what they feel. The father and son appear to be the last innocent people left in the world as they struggle with the idea of killing and/or eating another person’s flesh.  They witness really distressing situations which is meant to completely shock the audience and make them panic over the idea this is actually happening and who would they be in the situation. Saying you would be a good innocent person is easy to say but with the struggles with surviving can really change a person and make them do things they never thought they were capable of.

The main protagonists are basically called “Man” and “Boy” which in my opinion really reflect the characters in an intense way. Every character doesn’t really have a name; they are just a description of what the audience see them as. To me this is meant to reflect how their world is dead and the formalities of the world we all live in now are gone and are basically none existent.  It even shows how distant each of the characters have to be now, by revealing their names to each other gives a hint of trust and bonding with anyone which simply can’t be allowed as you can’t trust anyone in this world and it is safer to be alone. Even the fact Man doesn’t say Boy’s name is necessary, Man knows he isn’t going to be around forever. His son, Boy is going to have to look after himself one day and by discrediting the fact he has a name is basically a boy means he needs to grow up. He has to be prepared for the difficult choices, doing the selfish thing to separate them from the rest of the world.

In my opinion this is a story of fatherhood and coming of age. The father’s main goal is like any other fathers life goals, to teach their child the way to live and survive. Even though the past and present expectations of a father are different but still challenging as a first time father isn’t really sure how to teach their child. The main difference that the father has to teach is child is distance, regularly a father would teach their child to interact with the people, have a enjoyable life, fall in love and settle down. In this world, he has to teach his son to be as distant as possible, everyone is a threat and friendship or pity or trust is a sign of weakness in this world.

This is a very slowed paced film which I believe adds to the authenticity of this dead world. I have heard people complain that it’s too slow, nothing happens but that is how the world would be now in that situation. The world is dead, most of the world’s population either died during the incident or have died from starvation, dehydration, infection, murder, cannibalism, it’s like the world’s worst nightmare has come true.

What I think makes this a truly great drama is the realistic elements which reflect every character in either a positive or negative light. Some aspects are really obvious and what you would expect yourself to deal with such as murder and starvation. A segment I thought really added to the credibility of the film was based around a can of coke. They find a can of coke, something they haven’t had in years and really enjoy it. You see a side which you wouldn’t expect which is a brief moment of peace, believing that at this moment in time there are no worries which is a major concern for everyone in this new world. Above anything you must keep sane for the sake of yourself and those you care for and if you don’t take that brief moment now and again to find something to make you smile then you’re already dead, you’ve lost and given up on the world.

The overall film is brilliantly presented in all aspects; I do have an issue with the ending as I thought it was too much of a cliché to find another group of survivors. The group of survivors also follow the same moral guides as the father and son but I understand that it was a needed ending, giving that last glimpse of hope in both the characters and audience. 

It is difficult for me to choose a scene which is my favourite as it is overall a brilliant film; however this scene I have highlighted has a large impact on the characters and the audience. This is a father ‘s worst nightmare, teaching your son that the safest way in a drastic situation is to kill yourself quickly; it’s that element on showing the difference approach to fatherhood.