I TIFFed it up for Dead Sexy Magazine to go see Hillcoat’s film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s 2009 sci-fi novel "THE ROAD.” One of my pet peeves is reading a great book and then seeing a terrible adaptation of it on the big screen, which is kind of what happened with this film. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Hillcoat’s version was in the same caliber of lets just say for instance “Time Travelers Wife” but it was a little disappointing to see that I wasn’t as enamored as I was while reading the book. The overall look of the film was definitely well done and captivating – picture an ash filled post apocalyptic world where those who survived are forced to live a life of cannibalism. Can you say haunting and…Eww! Hillcoat’s chosen cast (Viggo Mortensen as the loving father and Kody Smit-McPhee as the young boy) was equally memorable, but aside from that, there was something lacking in the overall storyline- typical of what happens when directors try to recreate the magic that comes from reading the book. I say, read the book if you haven’t already and see the film, if only for the beautiful and haunting imagery of what the end of the world might look like.
photography courtesy of TIFF
