The Road (John Hillcoat)

I read Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road, when a friend was a day late arriving for a visit because he couldn't leave his house until he finished the novel. It was so engaging he couldn't put it down. He passed his copy to me, and I, too, read it straight through. Once I emerged from the book, the world looked different and I was off-balance. I ate differently and could not waste a drop of water. When I taught the novel a few semesters later, it had the same effect on me again. (In so many ways, it was an effective novel to teach.) But that's not why The Road is one of my favorite novels of the decade. I like how it explores the moral symbiosis of the parent-child relationship without ever casting a sentimental eye on the subject. I especially like that it examines the relationship through the lens of loss and hardship, with the parent (and the reader) always wondering if the child has been failed by the parent’s efforts.

Not surprisingly, I came to the film with low expectations.

As many reviewers have noted, the film is not as bleak as the novel. That's not to say it is upbeat. No, much of the novel's desolation and terror comes from McCarthy's slow, patient narration. In the film, as the man and boy progress along the road, each of their encounters is truncated, less suspenseful, less desperate than in the novel. Nevertheless, the film captures the bond uniting the father and son, allowing the moral issues to dominate the film.

Highly recommend. But read the novel first.