I understand that children can sometimes ruin a movie... happened to me with Babadook (I can take lot, but not that - even though I can admit that such a strong even though negative performance is still a good thing), but I think you might be actually overreacting in this case and missing a lot. I don't think the kid is that bad, his connection to the father and the world is centerpoint of the movie. He sees the post-apocalyptic world through innocent eyes. His "sniveling" as you say, is important part of the story, as he is trying to safe his father from wrongdoings. It's partly coming of age story and social commentary. The world is hell just because the survivors made it so.

MongoLLoyd- oh dear - just when I thought I had forgotten it !! His poor father in agony with cancer and all the child can say is "Why did you move my stuff" or something similar - it's a while since I watched it but I remember wanting to bounce his stuff of his selfish little head !!! This is the thing with children though - he was only little and the only thing that was within his mental grasp was the importance of his stuff - the only normalcy left for the poor little blighter. I slap my own wrist !!!

So, I'd been watching the IMDB boards since 2005, and beginning in February of 2017, just before IMDB scuttled itself, I switched to watching the TMDB boards.

And it has been ever so rare that I've seen anyone compliment a child actor on his or her acting.

Why is that?

For the record, I thought the kid in The Road did an adequate job.

I think it's because of the direction they get - filmmakers tend to be fixated on cute or brat when it comes to children . There is rarely a good acting role for a child in an adult film. (like the child devil in Salem whom I think did a good job) Good question though.

This is, hands down, THE grimmest motion picture I have ever seen! I'd be surprised if anyone else can come up with anything that I'd find to surpass The Road in terms of its sheer soul-crushing pessimism!

I can't wait to read the book.

Celluloid Fan--

There is one film, in my opinion, that you might find surpasses The Road when it comes to post-apocalyptic bleakness:

Threads (1984). After the explosions, in the years that follow, society keeps on regressing, and people just keep on dying, and dying, and dying. When people first go to the (barely-functioning) hospital in the immediate aftermath, the steps are covered in diarrhea. Things just get worse from there. You can read my review of that film on this website, under the title "Excruciating to Watch".

I mention in that review that the American film which comes closest to Threads is The Road-- so I am not surprised how depressing you found The Road to be.

I did read Cormac McCarthy's novel first-- before watching The Road --and I can tell you, it is even more bleak than the filmed version (of The Road). Very well-written, but sad.

Thanks, I will check them out (the review & the film).

BTW northcoast, did you read No Country For Old Men by McCarthy, too? If so, what did you think of it?

P.S.: I looked for your review of "The Road" here, which has a really good title ("Excruciating to Watch"), but was unable to find it....

Hi, Celluloid Fan.

Concerning the review, I meant for "Threads". If you go to that film's page on TMDB, you will find the "Excruciating . . . " header in the Discussions, where I mention "The Road".

As for "No Country For Old Men", I've neither read the book nor seen the film, though I've heard good things about both. I could be completely wrong about this, but I seem to recall hearing that the book and film were loosely based on an actual case, and I generally stay away from the "True Crime" genre-- it depresses me, and sometimes, too, I think the genre tends to glorify actual (as opposed to more "acceptable" fictional) suffering.

Then again, I did enjoy "Fargo" (1996), also (loosely?) based on a true crime, so I do make exceptions, from time to time.

@northcoast said:

Concerning the review, I meant for "Threads". If you go to that film's page on TMDB, you will find the "Excruciating . . . " header in the Discussions, where I mention "The Road".

Oops, that's what I get for rushing. I liked your review.

As for "No Country For Old Men", I've neither read the book nor seen the film, though I've heard good things about both. I could be completely wrong about this, but I seem to recall hearing that the book and film were loosely based on an actual case, and I generally stay away from the "True Crime" genre-- it depresses me, and sometimes, too, I think the genre tends to glorify actual (as opposed to more "acceptable" fictional) suffering.

Cormac McCarthy's novel pulls out some stylistic variations from the norm that I enjoyed. I actually find the film to be easier to digest than the book, but more on that later. McCarthy's knowledge of his subject matter shows matter-of-factly in the prose, and what more can I say? It's a solid read. It's left me wanting to see what The Road reads like.

The film adaptation by the Coen Brothers is, IMO, brilliant. It is gory to the point of being gruesome at certain points. Anton Chigurh is played by a man of Latino descent, but interestingly, Chigurh doesn't seem to show much ethnic or racial background at all onscreen. This was an interesting approach to the character, IMO -- whom I see as a personification of death. I'll confess the only part of the film that doesn't work for me is Tommy Lee Jones' speech at the last scene, which I can never quite follow through to its end. I know it plays an important part thematically in the resolution of the film. But still, my attention span always wanes by that point.

@SolitaryCZ said:

I understand that children can sometimes ruin a movie... happened to me with Babadook (I can take lot, but not that - even though I can admit that such a strong even though negative performance is still a good thing), but I think you might be actually overreacting in this case and missing a lot. I don't think the kid is that bad, his connection to the father and the world is centerpoint of the movie. He sees the post-apocalyptic world through innocent eyes. His "sniveling" as you say, is important part of the story, as he is trying to safe his father from wrongdoings. It's partly coming of age story and social commentary. The world is hell just because the survivors made it so.

Umm, the world is also hell because blind, arrogant, powerful men destroyed the Earth's ecosystem.

Threads shares a similarity with When The Wind Blows (1986)