Viggo Mortenson and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road

The Road is a novel written by Cormac McCarthy (he’s American, so you would be forgiven for not being familiar with him), who also wrote No Country For Old Men which has also recently been adapted for the screen. The movie adaption of The Road, however, has been directed by John Hillcoat and will be more recognisable as it stars our favourite Lord of the Rings hero, Aragon (Viggo Mortenson), as a struggling Father to his son, newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee.

The first interesting point to note is that both the main characters are unnamed throughout the movie which is an unusual concept but it definitely works. The film shares the premise of the noel in that it focuses on the story of a Father and his young son who have to struggle to survive a number of years after an unspecified, devastating cataclysm that has destroyed civilisation and obscured the sun. Our heroes decide to travel South in the hope of finding other survivors but along the way they must avoid bands of cannibals whilst maintaining their own sense of morality and humanity.

Flashback and dream sequences spaced throughout the narrative show how the Mother, who has a much more expanded role in the film than in the book, committed suicide after losing the will to live following the delivery of her child into a seemingly doomed world. Mortenson’s aim is that of any Father; to protect his child - and it is this struggle that drives the plot along.

Viggo Mortenson and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road

As Lord of the Rings was such a force cinematically, it’s easy to think of Aragon when we see Viggo Mortenson, but by playing this role Mortenson proves that he is versatile in his acting. He described the two main characters in this movie as, “being on this difficult journey and the father is basically learning from the son.”  He is fully able to portray the role of the struggling Father so that the viewer develops empathy with the character.  The role of the son is commendable to say the least, at the London Film Festival he was one of four finalists for the part and was picked by Mortenson himself.  Kodi portrays the role exactly as it should be played; that of a vulnerable and scared child completely reliant on his Father. Molly Parker as Mortenson’s wife and the other supporting characters give good performances which add depth to the movie and keep the bleak story from stalling.

For example, the Father carries a pistol with two bullets in case they need to hasten the end. It is the sense of impending tragedy, as well as the nail biting moments, where the two central characters seem to be in inescapable trouble along with the sense that they are on a doomed journey which keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats willing them on.  The Road is worth seeing for the adventure and action, but at the very least it is a worthwhile hour and a half for the rare, poignant display of the truly human, desperate relationship between a Father and son.

The Road is showing at Broadway until Thursday 21 January

The Road official website

The Road