The Road

John Hillcoat found some of the most disaster-ravaged locations in the world to film his version of Cormac McCarthy’s celebrated novel, The Road. The use of actual places to depict the film’s post-apocalyptic world, including areas left devastated by Hurricane Katrina, adds a layer of authenticity that plays on viewers' own fears of environmental destruction, infusing The Road with a lingering sense of dread. We follow a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they make their way across a dying planet plagued with fires. Each day they struggle to find food, shelter and safety from the many gangs who roam the empty roads and who have resorted to cannibalism. The two leading actors give fine performances and there are also cameos from Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall. However, most memorable of all are the stark, ashen landscapes which form the backdrop to the pair’s journey and are simultaneously overbearing and strikingly beautiful. [Gail Tolley]