THE ROADMOVIE MOVIE
THE ROADMOVIE SERIES

The film acknowledges the extremity of conditions which could prompt one to take his/her own life. One last principle in the ideology of The Road is the dignity of death. This of course not only speaks out against nuclear war, but mankind’s failure to take the necessary precautions in preventing earthly ailments such as global warming. As the wise elder Eli (Robert Duvall) states to the protagonists, “I always knew this was coming, this or something like it. It is mankind that is dying in its failure to adapt to these new conditions it is mankind which took the world for granted mankind which now pays for its arrogance. Because of the new world’s barren lack of resources, it’s easy to conclude that the world is dying, when in fact, the world is only changing.

A family man, with children of his own, eventually takes Boy in as his own, validating Man’s will to survive.Īnother ideal is earth’s indifference to mankind and vice versa. Upon reaching the coast, Man collapses and dies, leaving Boy on a beach to fend for himself. The Man, on the other hand, clearly on the verge of death, holds dear to his life if only to find a safe place for his son. Their mantra, “carrying the fire (inside)”, acts as a religious focus for the son whose father wants him to want to live. With nobody but themselves, Man and Boy travel by foot, scavenging for food and warmth while evading violent gangs of cannibals. As the weather becomes increasingly colder, Woman finds life unbearable, and commits suicide. As all vegetation dies, the risk of outside invaders increases.

THE ROADMOVIE SERIES

Through a series of flashbacks it is revealed that Boy was birthed sometime after the disaster, and raised on diminishing supplies by Man and Woman (Charlize Theron). Though it isn’t revealed what exactly causes earth’s decay, Man’s narration in the opening, “.clock stopped at 1:17, there was a long sheer of bright light, then a series of low concussions” (Hillcoat), is a strong indication of nuclear war.

THE ROADMOVIE MOVIE

The movie centers on the journey of a father (Viggo Mortenson) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), whose names, because they aren’t specified, are implied as Man and Boy, through the chaos of post-apocalyptic earth en route to a warmer climate. Director John Hillcoat’s The Road is a film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning dystopian novel sharing the same title.

The roadmovie