Bleak and disturbing, The Road is the most difficult film of the year to watch. But don’t miss it or you’ll be denying yourself the opportunity to see one of the most riveting, emotionally draining, and strangely beautiful films of the decade. The post-apocalyptic drama’s dreary setting is off-putting, but Viggo Mortensen is simply brilliant as a father torn up over his responsibilities to his child in a world where death seems a better option than the continued struggle to stay alive in a world with no hope for a better future.

Cormac McCarthy’s novel wasn’t obvious fodder for a feature film. It’s less cinematic than All the Pretty Horses or No Country for Old Men, the dialogue is sparse, and the characters are only barely fleshed out. Reading it, I could not picture the book being made into a film that would capture its intent and spirit. But what screenwriter Joe Penhall and director John Hillcoat have managed to do with McCarthy’s The Road is nothing short of spectacular. The Road’s screenplay is one of the most faithful adaptations of a novel I’ve seen in years. There are a few changes – Charlize Theron’s role as The Woman is expanded and a backstory is created – but these are not intrusive additions and do not alter McCarthy’s work.

The Story
The landscape of The Road is painted with minimal use of color. Black and shades of gray evoke a world in which hope is all but dead and life has been reduced to focusing on taking one more step, finding one more scrap of food, staying alive for one more day. We don’t know what has brought our world to the verge of extinction, but that’s ultimately not important. The few survivors of whatever environmental catastrophe took place get by on next to nothing. The animals have all died off so fresh meat isn’t an option, and some of these survivors fill the void by resorting to cannibalism. Those who haven’t lost their minds and taken to eating other survivors exist on rotten fruit and random canned goods.

The Road
The Man (Mortensen) and The Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) have managed to survive with their wits basically intact. The Man has done everything he can to teach his son about the past while preparing him for a future in which he’ll be expected to survive all on his own. He’s taught the boy they’re the good guys and that they must keep the ‘fire inside’ burning. They must adhere to rules that no longer apply in this twisted world.

For some unknown reason, The Man believes he’ll find refuge on the West Coast, and it’s to the Pacific Ocean that he and his son head. Their pilgrimage is fraught with danger and there’s no assurance that once they hit the coast, there will be anything there for them to survive on. But The Man is unshakable. Stay safe, stay alive, get to the coast, and find food and shelter. You can all but hear that mantra repeating itself in his head. You sense he needs to have this goal – this reason to get up in the morning – besides remaining alive to guide and protect his young son. He has to accomplish this and it doesn’t matter if the result of his journey isn’t the nirvana he pictures in his dreams.

The Cast
Viggo Mortensen can always be counted on to deliver a captivating performance and he does so once again in The Road. The film rests on his shoulders and Mortensen’s fully capable of handling the burden. Mortensen committed fully to the part, losing weight in order to get his already lithe frame into a condition that closely represents a man who’s been slowly starving to death. But it’s not really his physical appearance which is so engrossing as much as it is what he brings to the part emotionally.

Mortensen’s young co-star, Kodi Smit-McPhee, has only a couple of feature film credits to his name, and he brings a freshness and innocence to the role of The Boy. At first I thought the chemistry between Mortensen and Smit-McPhee was off, but then as the film went on I realized that aloofness, that at times disconnected vibe between the two is exactly what was demanded of them from the story.

Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Garret Dillahunt, and Michael K Williams all appear in short yet pivotal scenes. Each brings something different to the table and though their time on camera is very short, they serve to show how outsiders view the father and son and how others affect their relationship.

The Bottom Line
The attention to detail in The Road is stunning. From the clothing, the make-up, and the rotting teeth to the dying forests, deserted roads, and desolate coastline, every minute detail is perfect. Not one item is out of place. And the same can be said of the limited dialogue. Every word is there for a reason; every scene is crucial. Some will take your breath away while others will have you cringing from the screen. There’s a brief sequence with humans chained in the basement waiting to be slaughtered that I guarantee is going to stick in your mind for weeks.

The Road makes for an uneasy moviegoing experience. Don’t watch this until you’re in the mood for a seriously dark, unrelentingly intense experience. Author McCarthy, screenwriter Penhall, director Hillcoat and the amazing cast have crafted a compelling survival story that leaves you as emotionally and physically drained as if you’d taken the journey right alongside this hapless father and son team. It’ll also leave you feeling as though you’ve witnessed something unique and unforgettable. You’ll want to discuss and dissect The Road immediately after seeing it, so don’t go alone.