Revolutionary Road

“Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness.”

Purpose and Principles are the Moral Dilemma in Mendes’ latest film

I’ve been anticipating Revolutionary Road ever since I heard about it almost two years ago. I am an avid Kate Winslet fan, and when I heard about this film, I thought that her Oscar would be soon coming. I was almost right – she won, but for The Reader. Revolutionary Road tackles similar issues as Winslet’s previous film Little Children – the suburban lifestyle – but in a less satirical manner and with more of an emphasis on individual principles versus the perception of a life purpose.

The film follows the life of a young 1950s couple, Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Alice (Winslet) Wheeler. Marital problems begin when they both begin to feel trapped in a life in the suburbs that they had never imagined for themselves, coinciding with feelings of obligation and responsibility. The film is enhanced by the mad man John Givings (Michael Shannon) who acts as a sort of moral compass for the Wheelers. On the surface, this film’s primary purpose seems to be criticizing conformity and the suburban trap. Although effectively portrayed, this idea comes perhaps a bit too late to really be considered original. However, I believe this film did a great job of portraying the mindset of the individuals involved. Films like Little Children effectively attacked the surface, whereas Revolutionary Road presented an ambivalent moral dilemma. Because of that, director Sam Mendes deserves acclaim for presenting a unique point of view.

By far the most outstanding aspect of the film was the acting. Leonardo DiCaprio should have been nominated for an Oscar. I have said before that Kate Winslet should have been nominated in the Supporting category for The Reader and Lead for Revolutionary Road. Her performance in this film was, in my opinion, her very best performance to date, which says a lot. Michael Shannon’s role, although limited, was nonetheless impressive and intensely thought-provoking. I think that the film was unjustifiably left out in the awards circuit (in favour of subpar films such as Frost/Nixon), but, then again, the awards circuit notoriously shafts the films that truly deserve recognition.

The film was perhaps not the best in terms of a cohesive narrative, but it was certainly thought provoking and entertaining to say the least. For that, I give it a B+.