The Road, a CinEuphoria Awards best cinematography winner, is about a man and his son who struggle to survive in a post apocalyptic setting. They run into many challenges including getting over the loss of the mother, finding food, and finding the mental strength to do what is necessary in order to survive, most importantly the mental strength to kill someone. At the end of the story the son if faced with the decision to go with another family, which he questions because his father said not to trust anyone, and he had the other option to stay on the beach with his father. Unique elements to this film include the different cinematic techniques used by the filmmaker. This includes the dark and sad colors present in the film as well as the filmmakers strategic angles to show the destroyed world. Personally the film was entertaining but probably not something I would watch again. It is not one of those movies you can watch over and over again. I also like movies with more happier moments, but there were not that many in this film, mostly bad things that would happen. I suggest for the viewer to read the book first so they can develop their own thought on what the characters look like then get the surprise of what they actually look like. The book does a good job describing the characters but I think when reading a book before watching a film the way you perceive the characters is always a little different then how they actually look. Personally I would recommend this film to anyone who likes post apocalyptic movie settings, thrilling moments, and emotional moments, some positive but mostly negative.

The Road directed by John Hillcoat was released in 2009, produced by Paula Mae Schwartz and Steve Schwartz, and written by Joe Penhall. Based on the novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which won the 2007 Pulitzer award, as well as many other nominations and awards. McCarthy has had various other books adapted into movies including Child of God and The Sunset Limited. The leading roles played by Viggo Mortensen, who played the man and Kodi Smit McPhee, playing the role of the boy. Mortensen who had leading roles in the Lord of the Rings series, also acting in Crimson Tide, A Dangerous Method and 45+ other films, is a more experienced actor than McPhee. McPhee, who played the young boy in this film, has also appeared in other movies including X-Men and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. These actors worked as one in this movie to adequately represent the true message of the film. This film is intense, yet touching and withholds many messages expressed by Mortensen and McPhee. This film starts in the the post apocalyptic world, with a man and a boy, and many untold stories. Throughout the film we see their hardships as they embark on a journey down the road to reach the south, and the ocean. We see the characters grow as they experience new things and learn new lessons. The man plays the role of a leader for the boy, who has never known different from the world he lives in today. But we see that the man, who holds many secrets, can vividly remember life before his life turned upside down. We experience these times through flashbacks and it only accentuates the true hardships he has experienced. After reading the book, and watching the film it is notable that there are few differences between the two, overall messages as well as small details carry throughout both. This film is very intriguing and intense to watch, many moments leave you on the edge of your seat and wondering what will happen next. This, combined with angles, soundtrack and lighting allow the true message of the novel to come through. Point of view shots allow the audience to feel more connected to the scenes and make them more intense, along with this, the music played at moments of intensity, keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Throughout the film the use of lighting, or lack thereof, keeps the mood, low and dreary. Overall this film truly captured the post apocalyptic world, in a way that kept readers on the edge of their seats. All combined, the actors, props, editing and soundtrack, keep the audience engaged at all times. I would recommend this film because it encaptures true messages and struggles, while in the meantime keeping the audience engaged and entertained.

'The Road (2009)' is a relentlessly bleak post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his boy simply trying to survive. The narrative is unconventional, in the sense that there's no traditional antagonist or even any driving goals, which leads to a sometimes meandering experience that definitely feels more like a novel than a movie. Yet, even for its slow pace and uncompromisingly sombre tone, there's something undeniably human underlying the story and several sequences are nail-bitingly tense. The piece explores the need for morals in a desolate world, as well as the struggles of trying to raise a son within it, and is a compelling watch. 7/10

The Road is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic drama, based off The Road, a novel written by Cormac McCarthy. The film was directed by John Hillcoat. The man (played by Viggo Mortensen) and the boy (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world as they travel on the road to the southern coast, in hopes of warmth and refugee. The mother of the boy, (played by Charlize Theron), deserted the two years after the apocalypse. Those who read the novel know that cannibalism is a huge element within the storyline of The Road, which I think wasn't emphasized enough. The element of cannibalism was significantly downplayed within the film. The only time cannibalism is truly shown in the film is when the boy and the man enter the basement of a house, and find several nude and starving people who were locked up. It is assumed that these people were being held captive as a food source for their captors. Another aspect that played a huge role within the text but wasn't really incorporated in the text was the setting. After reading The Road and before watching the film, I anticipated the setting of the entire film to be dark, grey, bleak, and full of ash. These aspects play a large role in why the journey south was so treacherous. The film did a poor job of showing a post-apocalyptic world in my opinion. The setting of the movie gave me the impression that the weather was constantly cloudy, and that the establishments such as various buildings, stores, and houses were being poorly maintained. There were no places shown within the film that gave off the feeling of being abandoned or burned down, just ignored. The only aspect of this movie that I really enjoyed was the input of voice overs and narration of some scenes. The use of voice overs helped incorporate the "vibe" given off when reading through the pages of McCarthy's writing. Overall, the film did a poor job of trying to bring Cormac McCarthy's writing to life. There were quintessential aspects of the book that made it so enjoyable were left out. The man and son were unrealistically lucky within the film, to the point where the film became stale.(How can a cold, starving man on the brink of death go diving into a freezing sea and walk out like it was nothing?) The actors' performances were subpar at best. And to top the movie off, the only African American within the film robbed the boy and the man, and then was robbed himself. If I had to rate this movie from 1 through 10, 1 being absolutely a piece of garbage and 10 being the best film I've ever seen, I would give this movie 4. The effort was there, but upon further review, not really.