El último camino
The Road
The Road
Director:
John HillcoatGuión:
Joe PenhallCámara:
Javier AguirresarobeReparto:
Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Kenneth Williams, Molly Parker, Paul Hodge (más)Sinopsis(1)
La historia transcurre en un mundo apocalíptico arrasado por una guerra nuclear, en el que un padre y su hijo viajan hacia la costa para buscar un lugar seguro donde asentarse. Durante su travesía se cruzarán con los pocos seres humanos que quedan, la mayoría de los que o bien, se han vuelto locos o se han convertido en caníbales. (Wide Pictures)
(más)Reseñas (9)
Una hermosa película triste. La historia contada lenta y sensiblemente del viaje de dos personajes indefensos por un mundo sin humanidad. En un mundo donde no quería dejarlos solos y quería protegerlos. Mortensen espectacular, Duvall fenomenal, una escena infernalmente escalofriante y un agradable y omnipresente motivo de piano. Hasta ahora, la segunda pieza (después de Shutter Island) para mi top 10 de este año.
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For most of the runtime I had decided on a 100% rating, but the last few minutes belong to a completely different film. When it comes to the portrayal of a post-apocalyptic future, The Road leaves all the modern competition way behind. Only the old British film Threads can be compared in terms of the intensity of the despair and depression. The Road is a strong argument for those who claim that I Am Legend and Carriers are not particularly good films. 9/10
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Hillcoat certainly didn't do badly here and in fact, I can't imagine if McCarthy’s book could have been adapted more faithfully. However, like the Coen brothers, the film is brought down by the poor rewrite that simplified some passages for the film medium, and cut others, and yet added nothing of its own. I appreciate the austere work with images, which doesn't push the viewer into the popular post-apocalyptic depression, but rather strums on grimly sad strings, like the musician Nick Cave. Regardless, I’m glad Hillcoat had the balls to film it the way he did. On the other hand, the aftertaste of uselessness cannot be repelled, at least in my case. Seven thumbs up out of ten. I think I'll go to the movies. I’m afraid of Blood Meridian.
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A sensitive and adequate adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's short story, as much as it can be. The truth is that what in the original referred somewhat to the elusive heights of "divinity", "sympathy" and "humanity" logically clings to mud and dust in the film. In my opinion, it could not have been shot any better or in a more raw way. However, it could have been tighter.
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The most catastrophic commercial for Coca-Cola. McCarthy’s The Road stands on atmosphere, and so it was extremely important that no one scene should stick out, like in the book, so that a month later you have no memory of anything specific that happened, only of the atmosphere of cruel despair, ruin; a world where trusting your nearest and dearest is a synonym for criminal naivety. A memory of the atmosphere that gets under your skin, an atmosphere that will stay with you long after you leave the movie theatre. All it takes is somebody coughing on the bus, the sight of a discarded beer can and there you are again - up to your ears in depression. I don’t want to pretend that this is flawless. It isn’t. I could find quite a lot of things to criticize here, but everything fades in the shade of THAT atmosphere and the very end, where you find out straight away who has what perspective of the world (you know: is the glass half-full or half empty?). That dulls the edges of any of its negative aspects. Mainly that it’s fragmentary and everything else that the book suffers from. Yes, you heard me right, although I really like The Road, I don’t rate it among McCarthy’s top works. It isn’t even his most atmospheric works. P.S.: But this is one of those pointless adaptations. It’s an illustration, one to one scale, nothing more. I really had expected the director to cut deeper and defy the “canon" of the book, while still remaining faithful to it. Here, everything is down to the book, and nothing comes “out of Hillcoat". That’s why I give it four.
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To be honest, The Road rather disappointed me. It lacks spark, and the label "intimate" here only masks the directorial helplessness. Some films take place in much smaller spaces, like caves or coffins, and yet manage to keep the viewer in constant tension. The Road depicts a post-apocalyptic world where every day is a struggle for survival, but it fails to sell it properly. It has the energy of a person after a marathon. The post-apocalyptic genre often falls into stupid action B-movies like Mad Max. The Road had a unique opportunity to show the realistic demise of proud human civilization in all its hopelessness and horror. However, it lacks atmosphere and often even tension. The engagement of a world-class star like Charlize Theron seems utterly unnecessary for a few insignificant flashbacks; any unknown television actress could have easily handled it. The dialogues are too brief and clearly did not receive much attention. The Road shows a world after an unspecified disaster (most likely the fall of a larger celestial body), but this image has weaknesses. If it had crashed into the sea, it would have caused a gigantic tsunami that would have washed away hundreds of millions of people from coastal areas and plains, and extensive salinization would have led to local famines. It would have been a blow to human civilization, but certainly not a mortal one. If it had crashed on land, it would have thrown such a large amount of rock and dust into the atmosphere that it would have probably caused climate change for a few hundred years. It is said that civilization ends three days after supply collapses, but the image of aimlessly wandering individuals, couples, and small groups in a dead landscape would likely look completely different. From one day to another, the fine liberal civilization with culture, human rights, and consumer gluttony would come to an end. Relentless competition for dwindling supplies and resources would begin, but it would likely be organized and highly sophisticated. Rather than cannibalism, the use of weapons of mass destruction and large-scale wars waged this time without regard for public opinion and to the extreme would be the real threat. Unlike most movie makers, I don't think ammunition would be scarce. If humanity has an abundance of anything, it's weapons in general. This would be a large-scale operation. Today's states would quickly collapse, taking their helpless political representation with them, and those with firm determination would come to power. In the film, the question of whether certain people are good or not is asked several times. Similar terms would lose their meaning in a post-apocalyptic society (at least the meaning they have today). The task of the time would be to reduce the Earth's current population of 8 billion to a few million who are capable of sustaining themselves in the post-apocalyptic world. People who survived would face something worse than hunger and cold. They would lose compassion and humanity. Even if the Earth were hit by a planet that once wiped out the dinosaurs, nature and humans have an extraordinary ability to adapt. Considering the topic and knowing that Hillcoat did not want to make a cheap action flick, I give it a weak 3 stars. Overall impression: 50%.
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A post apocalyptic movie of the highest quality drenched in the murkiest atmosphere and wrapped in the darkness of grey fumes evaporating from a dying planet. We don’t know why exactly, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is survival. To eat and not get eaten. Viggo Mortensen is at his best and his little side-kick Kodi Smith-McPhee plays a great supporting role. These two under the firm direction of John Hillcoat push the dolly forward at a slow and contemplative tempo towards an ending which is not exactly impressive, but fairly logical. And that’s about it.
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Uncompromising with every step, a film that doesn't hold back and can be quite a solid punch for the viewer. Mortensen is very believable and the production design is excellent. A bit slow-paced and, for my taste, lacking in plot twists, but still satisfying. Some scenes are very chilling.
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I wasn’t disappointed. The film moves slowly, but keeps a magic and unique atmosphere. The beautiful camera work deserves praise, it captures that desolate and dark environment without a single glimpse of greenery and without any sign of life – I think the poster alone says a lot. Will, hope and love, that's what this unconventional adventure is all about.
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