In The Road the novel/movie spins a parabolic narrative of a post-apocalyptic world that is collapsing.  All plant and animal life is gone; the few humans remaining are surviving at the far edges of the range of human kindness.  It is every person for themself.  Horror of death, murder, mayhem, and cannibalism mark the world.

At the center of the story is a father and son.  The father, played with passionate intensity, is Viggo Mortensen.  The son is played by a young Australian actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee.  The main story line is the journey of father and son to what they hope is the safety and the possibility of new life at the coast.

Along the way they meet up with various characters and events that challenge and threaten their claim to be the "good guys" in a world full of meaninglessness.  The film presents a secular vision, a world where God is absent.  Ironically, and no doubt intentionally, this reality is actually named by the one person who has a name.  Robert Duvall plays a strong supporting role as Eli (the Hebrew name refering to God!?)

The driving force of the plot is the father's desire to get to the coast with the son and to impart to the son the metaphor of the "fire" that a person carries within.  Full of metaphor, biblical and Christian imagery, the film draws you into the world of the father and son.  However, be warned, you will not always find the implications affirming!  And the harsh realities of the parable can be quite vivid.

The movie is powerful, poignant, and, often troubling.  However, I can assure you that it will raise important issues regarding faith, parental love, meaning in life, and the limits of human existence.  I saw with a group of ministers from all over Atlanta and one main thread of the post-screening Q & A was about the many themes that the film raises. This is NOT a feel good movie; it is a movie that will demand a hard look at what is really good!

See trailer here

Fillm site here