QUAD Derby

The Road is showing at QUAD from Friday 22nd January - Thursday 4th February 2010

Dir. John Hillcoat

The Road isn't your typical post-apocalyptic thriller, the mood of the film is bleak and gritty, as you would come to expect with any film in this genre, however the film isn't primarily focused on the events to the lead up to and after the apocalypse, but on the relationship between a father and son from two different worlds and their struggle to survive. We loved how the film was shot, using a sepia-esque filter, giving the film a dark and consistently morose feeling throughout.

For us, the scene with the father visiting his family home, recalling tales of christmas to an oblivious son, particularly stood out. The scene highlights how the things that mean most to us can mean nothing to others, especially to a son brought up in a different society. For a moment the father was transported back to his previous life, this theme continues throughout the film with echoes of the world we all know, such as Coca-Cola, whisky, cigarettes and flashbacks of an everyday couple in love.

At first glimpse the child in the film looks like the most vulnerable and scared of the pair, being constantly sheltered by a protective father, however as the film goes on we see that the boy is actually having to cope with his father's fear of the world, the boy has come to terms with the state of the world and what he must deal with in the future, his father's world is dead and gone.

Although the film was shot and written beautifully, at some points we felt that scenes were cut short, not giving the audience enough time to grasp exactly what the characters are experiencing.

Memorable quote

Father: "Do you ever wish you were dead?"

Eli: "(laughs) you can't ask for luxuries in times like these"

Review by Young Person's Critique Circle part of the 'Fusion' Project 'Inspiring Derby's Young People through Art, Culture & Heritage'