There it is then: my bet for Film of The Year, Actor of The Year and (maybe) Supporting Actor of The Year come Oscar time.I'm not saying it was my favorite movie of 2009. Just that this is exactly the kind of movie that catalyzes Oscar voters: a story that defines the word "moving", deep, moody acting from Viggo Mortensen, a performance way above his youthful age from Kodi Smit-McPhee, and based on a best-selling book.
Curiously - or maybe not - there was no applause at the end of the film. Maybe I was in a minority in liking the film. I was certainly in a minority out of Lawrence and me, seeing as he thought it blew chunks.
To say it was bleak is a massive understatement. "Bleak" is for Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave CDs. The Road is almost crushed under the weight of its bleakness. The main protaganists: the unnamed man, woman and child, are doomed from the first frame (or page, if like me you read the book too). You're told virtually nothing about the cause of the apocalypse, although climate, earthquakes and volcanoes are clearly to blame, rather than nuclear war.
It's been post-apocalyptic week here in San Francisco, with 2012 and The Road. The latter is definitely the better film. The former is much more fun, if I can be forgiven for describing The Apocalypse as "fun".
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