… in that order please.
My friend Josh was kind enough to bring me along to an LA Times screening of the new film The Road last night and I was pleasantly surprised indeed – it even included a Q&A panel with the Viggo Mortensen and the filmmakers. I had read the book a couple of years ago and have not stopped thinking about it from time to time since then. Neither the book or the movie is for everyone, they are dark, depressing and present a pretty grim outlook of what we as human beings are capable of becoming. They also happen to be a beautiful testament to the hope, perseverance and love we as human beings are capable of as well.
The Book | The Film
The Book – I first learned of this book from an article in Spin. The lead singer of Arcade Fire had given it, along with a few other books, to Bruce Springsteen when the two had met for the first time. I figured if it was good enough to give to the Boss it’s probably worth reading. The book was written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian), is set in a not-too-distant-future, post-apocalyptic America, and follows the story of a father and son slowly making their way south down the east coast of the US by foot. That’s really all I’m going to say about the plot as it’s best to let it unfold not knowing – I think anyway. It’s a quick and pretty easy read - it’s 287 pages long, but reads like 150 – and is filled with the simplest, yet most poignant writing I’ve probably ever read. You can order the book here if you are interested.
The Film - This isn’t a 2012 or Mad Max type post-apocalyptic story at all, it’s a heart-wrenching account of what could realistically face us if our planet and society begin to die. The film was directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition), adapted for the screen by Joe Penhall (Enduring Love), and stars Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Kodi Smit-McPhee – with nice cameos from Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce (bad false teeth aside) – oh and Nick Cave does the music. It’s by-far the closest and most honest adaption of a novel I’ve ever seen. I felt exactly the same emotions leaving the theater as I felt closing the back cover of the book and that has never happened for me after seeing an adaption of one of my favorite books. Both the book and the film make you feel silly for all the petty grievances you have with life and help pull into focus what’s important and real. This is a movie I really would have loved to have done a website for – especially since I think the official website completely misses the tone of the movie. In fact, the whole advertising/marketing campaign totally misses the mark as well. It was an intentional decision I would assume the distributor made to try and make the film more marketable to a broader audience, but I think it does a disservice to the film and the book. You can see the trailer (which sucks and is wildly misleading btw) and get some more info on the film here.
A few Quotes from the Book:
“He pulled the boy closer. Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that.
You forget some things, don’t you?
Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.”
———–
“Nobody wants to be here and nobody wants to leave.”
———–
“You promised not to do that, the boy said.
What?
He poured the hot water back into the pan and took the boy’s cup and poured some of the cocoa into his own and then handed it back.
I have to watch you all the time, the boy said.
I know.
If you break little promises you’ll break big ones. That’s what you said.
I know. But I won’t.”
———–
“Rich dreams now that he was loathe to wake from. Things no longer known in this world. The cold drove him forth to mend the fire. Memory of her crossing the lawn toward the house in the early morning in a thin rose gown that clung to her breasts. He thought each memory recalled must do violence to its origins. As in a party game. Say the word and pass it on. So be sparing. What you alter in the remembering has yet a reality, known or not.”