It's very rare that I'll write a review on a movie that isn't currently in the theater. The last time I wrote about a borrowed movie it was about the movie Once. However, nothing has been nagging my subconscious more than the film that has stayed with me, no rather haunted me since I ordered on demand The Road with Viggo Mortenson.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!! If you haven't read or seen the film, do not read further (Yes, I know my previous reviews have had spoilers, yet did not afford the reader the luxury of a warning telling him or her so...I have learned my lesson---smile)
I haven't read the book by Cormac McArthy, and I could be wrong about the ending as seen in the film. Directors often take the liberty of changing the ending of books. I'd like to think what I saw in the film is what happened...until I read the book to confirm my doubts.
This film is more than just a bleak post-apocalyptic road trip. Unlike the hijinks of most road trip films, this has the dark undertones of a zombie mentalist society in which humanity has been divided into two: kill or be be killed; eat or be eaten; survive or die. The main heroes, a father & his son, are gripped between realizing they have a choice-to become the Bad Guys or to stay human & "keep the fire", as the son's father likes to phrase it. That fire is symbolic. It is the fire of the old humanity that has died along with the familiar comforts of home, an established economy (which in our reality, these days, seems to be reaching an Apocalypse of its own), food, resources,and other remnants that makes what our civilization what it is today.
The father & son, having witnessed very gruesome things that humanity at its last sane thread is capable of committing, are able to have a brief reprieve hiding in an underground shelter. There they find great storage of resources. For a brief time, they are back to the pre-Apocalyptic world, where people still care for each other. In this scene, we see a glimmer of hope, most especially felt by the boy. The boy simply follows his father, however, for most of the story, and with good reason. Soon the father senses a threat & they are once again running from danger, real or imagined.
The father must try hard to survive not for his sake but for the sake of his son, so that when he is gone his son is prepared to survive on his own. In our reality, it's difficult to see our children grow up in this world today: increased deaths from war; suicides; global disasters; human errors creating more disasters; unemployment; etc. In almost the same respect, The Road mimics our struggle for survival-a dog eat dog kind of world- depending on your perspective on life. This sentiment is shared by Robert Duvall's elderly man who Viggo's character & his son bump into while running & hiding. "Whatever created humanity, they won't see it here," or words to that effect. This old man is nostalgic of the old life, the old world he knows. When he sees the boy, he thought he has died & gone to heaven. The boy, in the old man's eyes, is like an angel-more on that later.
As the story progresses, you can see Viggo's character start to unravel. He soon becomes increasingly distrusting. Even today, though we'd like to embrace an opposite view, with the potential misuse of technology & dishonest business practices we have seen in society, is it any wonder why we would keep to ourselves? On the other hand, we increasingly wish to reach out to others, however distant these relationships might be emotionally through social networking. In our efforts to become more efficient & more globally relevant, we ironically run the risk of isolating ourselves. Even in our culture, we have taken for granted our manners to replace them with callous attitudes expecting others to grow thick skins & indifference if one cannot take harsh words. Whatever defense mechanisms we use to deal with others in our anger, sadness, greediness, or any other unsavory trait we might possess, it can destroy not only the fabric of society but our inner souls as well. This way of interacting with each other may not physically kill but it can maim the spirit of others, leading to a different kind of cannibalism - a devouring of the flesh of the humanity's heart.
Preventing this evolution in his father is the hope of the little boy, who raises the issue with his father: "Are we still the Good Guys?" The father looks up, almost acknowledging his own vulnerability to becoming the "others". "Yes, we're still the Good Guys". His son follows up: "Because we're keeping the fire"...This fire is one that needs to be maintained forever. Soon, the roles of father & son reverse. As early as the encounter of the old man, the boy wishes to share the goods they have found to help the old man. It is this act of kindness to which the old man testifies that the boy has come from heaven, a savior of sorts. It is this simple act of extending kindness to another fallen soul in this decrepit existence that the only real way to survive is to help each other & be there for one another, rather than tear each other down...And if you think about it, if you eat everyone, sooner or later there will be just so many left before the last person is eaten and the lone soul dies of loneliness & starvation.
Nearing the end, the boy also teaches the father once again about revenge. Loving his enemy, even after being robbed, the boy pleads with his father to spare the theif from humiliation. Ignoring the boy's pleas "Papa, no!", Viggo's character yells at the thief, stripping him of everything even his clothes. Here, Viggo's character reinvents his own law "do unto others as they have done to you". "You left us with nothing, so we leave YOU with nothin."...The boy, with great discomfort begs his father to return to where they left the thief naked...Unable to find him, the boy finally has his father relent and leave the thief's clothes along with some blankets & food for survival...If we need to keep the fire alive, any one watching this film or reading this book would be relieved that the boy is the torch carrier for a greater way of life.
Soon, the father seems to reach his end, which threatens the security of his son. Earlier in the film, the father has taught him that if things came to the worse, he would know how to put them out of their misery. It was disturbing to see this, a young boy wielding a gun and being shown how to use it in the most final act one could imagine. By the end of the film, through the boy's teaching, it seems the father realized his mistake & the need for the fire to stay alive. It isn't directly stated in the film, but I'd like to think that the father is very proud of his son & knows that his son will be okay. He will survive because Good always triumphs over evil..
Without giving the ending away (as if I haven't given a lot away already--), it seems like a spiritual interpretation can be understood. It is as though a Higher power concerned for its creation, always provides, in order for it to continue. HOwever bleak this story unfolded, there is a lot that resonates about our life today and what we hope to correct before it is too late.
This film, if played out in any other genre, could easily be transposed to the boy as the main hero. This film, however, would be more of the backstory before the real adventures of our boy hero begins. Why is it that heroes must be orphaned before they realize their true value & meaning?....The Road shows that without a father, however, the boy may have never known what it means to keep the fire alive!!!!
