The Road (2009)

IMDb plot summary: In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Directed by John Hillcoat. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, and Charlize Theron.

(Mild spoilers ahead.)

Whoo, this was a tough movie to get through. It's just unrelentingly bleak, even down to the color choice of constant oppressive gray. Don't get me wrong, the visuals did a great job of enhancing the story's atmosphere, but it was not a pleasant ride. Sometimes a bleak story will hit me on a deep emotional level, but this one was pretty unrelenting and just kind of left me numb.

The moments that made the most impact on me were the ones where the kid tries to fit the world they're in into his worldview and sense of morality, trying to goad his dad into being one of "the good guys" even in this world where anyone could be out to get them. I would have loved to see that make its way into the finale more clearly, because as it was, it felt too hopeful without a reason for it. I think it's a good movie, but it's not easy on its audiences and I don't particularly want to ever watch it again.

3 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Road > Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Road < Eat Pray Love
The Road < Full Metal Jacket
The Road > Internet Famous
The Road < Ramona and Beezus
The Road > Memoirs of a Geisha
The Road > Three Amigos
The Road < Monsters
The Road > Interstellar
The Road < Jurassic World

Final spot: #1047 out of 2542.