Reservation Road

I didn't know what "Reservation Road" was about when I started watching it. Not knowing the plot makes the movie hit you more. After an unfortunate event, the two families involved (neither of whom knows who the other is) inadvertently become more and more intertwined. Each time that another link gets revealed, you know that you're getting closer and closer to something ugly.

The characters, although not the best that I've seen in movies, were certainly worthwhile. Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) remains totally despondent about his son's death and the fact that the killer hasn't been caught. Ethan's wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly) wants to move on with her life and finds it regrettable that Ethan obsesses on one topic. Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), who caused the accident, spends most of the movie bothered by his actions and wanting to right the wrongs, but worried about what might result. At times, each of the characters come across as somewhat repulsive, but you still understand why they behave as they do.

Some people might liken this movie to "In the Bedroom" and "Mystic River". "Reservation Road" certainly deals with similar themes, although I wouldn't actually put it in the same league as those other two. This movie seems a little bit more sensationalistic, and as though it's trying to do the same as the other two. But overall, I thought that it's a good movie, and I would recommend it. Also starring Mira Sorvino and Elle Fanning.

The issues dealt with in this movie are real, and I can see many people who will be able to draw from their own experiences when watching this film. You may wonder sometimes if an accident happens, how long can you hold a person accountable for? Jennifer Connelly is again a mesmerizing presence on the silver screen. I watched tonight's screening of Reservation Road in Sudbury at our Cinefest festival expecting it to tug an emotional chord. I have to say, it was touching to see all the parents in the audience shedding a tear when the credits rolled. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo made a somewhat formulaic script feel fresh and real.

I don't have children and am therefore not in a position to ever lose one at a young age. This film, however, has brought me about as close to the living hell of what that awful experience would be like as a person can be without the actual first hand experience of living it. This is an excellent film; written well, filmed well, directed well, and with actors as good as you'll ever see in anything. And it will never get the respect it deserves because it eschews the "Hollywood" proforma cadence of either a tiding happy ending or complete descent into carnal madness. Instead, it goes to where things are real and much more difficult to take in.

The main story revolves around two families connected by the same tragedy. Specifically, two fathers played by Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo. They are quite literally unbelievable; two great actors at their greatest. Along with Jennifer Connelly, these three take you to a shattered place that is hard to look at and you never want to go to for yourself. It is a dark place where there are no winners and seemingly no hope. It is a place that you can only hope to survive. And if you are a survivor, you will never be the same or as good as you were before. Your marriage will not be the one you had before. Your relationship with your children will never be the same. All that being said, this is not a hopeless story. It is just a difficult one to watch because anyone can identify with it at a human level.

More than the unfolding of this story there is an unsettling tightening of the narrative as this plot develops. Unexpected cross currents in the lives of its antagonists are revealed bringing this story of grief and loss to a boiling point. The victim's father and the perpetrator, unbelievably, have overlaps in their everyday lives; separate and apart from the one that will link them together forever. Their climactic encounter will leave you shaken.

I knew nothing about this film when I watched it a couple of years ago. Literally, nothing. I watched it for two reasons; Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix. I was expecting a lot but I got so much more. I tend to go into a lot of detail when writing about a film as good as this one. The 1000 word limit that IMDb allows would never be enough to cover the multi amazing facets of this work. And doing so would require going more into the plot than I think would be useful for, or do justice to, this sorrowful gem. Watch it for yourself. It needs no explanation from me or anyone else. It speaks quite well for itself.

This film is about a grieving family dealing with the loss of their son after a hit and run accident.

The plot is very strong, It shows the driver's guilt and shame, the unrelenting pursuit of the father trying to find the driver, and a grieving mother who wants to move on. The powerful performances are remarkably touching, especially of Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly. The added twist in the complicated relationship between Dwight and Ethan is engagingly presented, and adds more melancholy and tension to the whole film.

"Reservation Road" is a surprising gem. It is almost scary that a split second decision can have such profound impact on oneself and others. be prepared to be touched and saddened by "Reservation Road".

I didn't know much about RR when I grabbed it off the shelf at my local video store, but I was enticed by the cast so I decided to take it for a spin. It really ended up surprising me because I hadn't heard anything about it and wasn't really expecting too much out of it. In the end though, I ended up liking the movie a lot. There were parts where I was very very moved and it was just too hard to not be on the side of Joaquin, and then moments later you flash to Mark Ruffalo and I understood in a way what he was going through. Throughout the movie my feelings for Ruffalo changed greatly. At first, of course, it was immediate hatred for him, but as I got to know him I started to feel for him before again being completely sickened by him in the end. Most movies can't take you on a ride the way that I was taken for this one, I was really moved at parts and completely sickened at others. These days you don't get many movies that take you on this kind of a journey, and I salute any film that doesn't just stick with a simple cookie cutter plot that I can predict before it starts. Sometimes we need something like this to remind us what good movies really are. For me the acting was superb and the plot kept you thinking. This is definitely one that I think you should go out and watch.