Not only a brilliantly directed and largely faithful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Road is also an unforgettable piece of filmmaking in it's own right. An unnamed man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) travel alone through a post-apocalyptic landscape, ravaged by an unspecified catastrophe. Ash and soot hang in the air, it is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is grey. The sky is dark, the cities abandoned and empty, the roads littered with corpses, the countryside deserted save for marauding gangs eating human flesh to survive. Man and boy head towards the coast, not knowing if anything awaits them there, trying to keep alive the idea of goodness and civilisation in a world where survival is a daily struggle.

 

This is a frighteningly convincing view of a possible future that takes us to places we don't want to go, and director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and his collaborators are meticulous in creating its visceral beauty and horror. It's hard to imagine any other actor other than Mortensen bringing the required intensity, and youngster Kodi Smit-McPhee is accomplished beyond his years. As the world around them is dying, what endures is the love between father and son, and a final, tender affirmation of hope.

Our Verdict: Believe the hype, this is a genuinely moving and substantial take on the 'post-apocalyptic' genre. It makes the likes of I Am Legend look like kid's TV as it is so unrelentingly grim and pessimistic. However even amongst all this despair there is a central story of hope which permeates throughout. The young boy manages to convince us that he is born into this new world but has the spirit of his parents running through him, something which the father can see and remember but not feel any more.

Mortensen takes a driven and harsh character and makes us care about him, and he is wonderfully assisted by Kodi Smit-McPhee playing his son. The pair travel across the landscape allowing us to peer into their world which feels frighteningly relevant. The filmmakers wisely choose not to show us the 'end of the world' as it happens, instead we can only imagine the horrors that lead to cannibalism and worse. Several scenes jump out at you with the highlight (if that is the right word) being the nightmare that lies in the basement of a seemingly innocent looking family home.

The supporting cast may only 'assist' our travelers but their impact is essential to the story. There is a stunning turn from 'The Old Man' (i'll keep you guessing as to who it is as it took me a while to figure it out) as well as an equally surprising appearance by 'The Veteran'. None of the characters actually have names, so this is perfectly in keeping with the rest of the film... The world as we know it is gone.

The film constantly asks you and itself "who are the good guys?", a question which finds sharp focus as we reach the end of the journey. The Road might not be an easy film to watch, but it's superbly crafted and delivers more body blows than one can take on any given day. Changes from the source material are present, but as a cinematic experience this is of the highest order. Joe Penhall clearly understands the material and isn't afraid to adapt it to make it fit the medium even better... he closely and cleverly feeds Hillcoat who then directs with welcome restraint and clear purpose. It would have been so easy to linger on huge scenes of devastation but instead we get to see the human story going on amongst all the chaos.

The Times BFI London Film Festival: The Road - Red Carpet Arrivals

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 16: (L-R) Director John Hillcoat, Writer Joe Penhall and Actor Viggo Mortensen arrive for the premiere of 'The Road' during the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival at the Vue West End on October 16, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

 

For your chance to see this film and the latest releases check out the official London Film Festival site: http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/